The Boundaries to Break
by Specter06
Summary: Loosely based on Titan A.E. The story of true love between a human girl and a Mantrin guy. With everyone against it and the bridge between their cultures so great, can it last? Or are the boundaries too strong to be broken? Rated T as the story might contain some mild adult themes later on but nothing major. Titan A.E. and Mantrins are copyright of 20th Century Fox.
1. The Usual Schoolday

**Chapter 1 The Usual School Day**

* * *

Have you ever experienced that moment when you looked straight into a guy's eyes, and instantly and undoubtedly knew he was going to be that special person in your life for whom you would be prepared to sacrifice everything? Some people might say it only happens once in a lifetime. Well, let me tell you this, it happened to me. It was just little bit different from what you, me and everyone around me expected. But there's no way to expect it. It just happens, suddenly, when you least expect it...

As I stand here, on the grass-covered hills around the town of _Tharea_ on the surface of Sogowa Prime, with the last warming rays of the early summer sun, caressing the exposed skin on my arms as it sets in the distance, inhaling the fresh air scented with sweet blossom, I think back of how it all started. Far away on another world. A world I never really called my own, despite the fact that I was born there. My name is Rachel Sanchez. I was only 17 years old back then. Let me tell you my story.

* * *

"Rachel! You're gonna be late again!"

"No, I'm not!" I yelled back from the upstairs bathroom to my mom who was busy shoving the morning dishes into the washer.

How often I heard that. Practically every morning, even though I could easily walk the small distance to my school and never managed to be late. Okay, maybe one or two times but it was honestly not my fault! At this moment, I'm standing in front of the generously sized bathroom mirror, which allows me to see myself down to around my waist, adding the final touch to my slightly curly dark brown, mid-back length hair in the form of a large clasp. It never really took me that much time to get it right the way I want it but on this particular morning maybe my mom was right. I was on the late side and might have to hurry a little. Satisfied with the result I smiled. To tell you a little about me, I'm just your average girl. At least, I don't consider myself special. Of course I've had people call me pretty, bright and that sorta stuff before, to which I merely answered with a smile most of the time. My skin is usually a shade of olive but with Solbrecht's spring coming up and with the sun having being very generous at the beginning of spring it's a little more tinted. My friends tell me it matches nicely with my eyes which are the same color. I'm not really tall, just average, as I've said before. About 5 foot 7. I try to eat healthy (and they have delicious things here on Solbrecht!), brush my teeth, shower daily, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Rachel!"

Whoops, I guess I got carried away a little, looking into that mirror, thoughts drifting off to the upcoming day at school. Without letting myself be distracted any further, I flicked the switch of the bathroom light on my way out and rushed down the stairs, my feet which were already finding themselves comfortable in a pair of brand new sneakers creating more noise on the wooden steps than I intended. Coming downstairs, my mom was waiting for me, as usual, with my shoulder bag of a well-known sports brand, as I knew packed with a healthy lunch. Solbrecht had so much to offer in terms of food. So many wonderful tastes it makes me salivate just thinking what she had prepared for me today. My mom sighed, but a faint smile played on her lips.

"You're really going to be a late again."

"Mom, I'm never late."

She laughed. Everyone kept telling me how much my mom and I look alike when we laugh. It's true. We've got the same hair. The same eyes. The same smile.

"All right. Here's your bag and I've got your lunch prepared. Have a nice day at school."

"Okay mom."

Planting a quick kiss on her cheek as I grabbed the strap of the bag and flung it over my shoulder, I opened the front door, letting in a rush of fresh air as well as the warmth of an early Solbrecht morning.

"Will I see you right after school?" she asked, causing me turn and look half over my shoulder, my hair already catching the slight warm breeze.

"I think. I'll let you know," I replied, patting the pocket of my half length jeans which I could feel was holding my phone. "Bye."

She merely smiled, briefly waving as I closed the door with a soft click. Walking the small distance to the low wooden fence, I breathed in a nose full of fresh air, scented by a most interesting combination of smells, most of them sweet. After closing the fence behind me, flinging my bag a little higher over my shoulder I found myself in the calm district just outside the center of town where I grew up and started walking toward it. It was an early morning and the beginning of spring but Solbrecht's spring and especially its summers are hot and I could already feel the sun gaining strength in comparison to the subtle rays that woke me up this morning. I was glad about my decision to wear short jeans and just a T-shirt. It was proving to be another warm day. As I walked down the street, I met various other people who were starting theirs. In our street the houses were still detached from each other, in contrast to the apartments closer to the center of town. I watched our neighbor from the opposite side of the street back his car down the driveway, hitting the gas as the wheels were parallel to the street, driving off to work. He was human. He waved briefly as he drove by. I waved back. In fact, many people in our street were humans. I guess we still stick together, no matter where we choose to live. However, when I reached the end of the street I was reminded, like every day that this is not Earth. The houses of course are build in a typical American style with a few elements reminiscent of modern Solbrecht architecture, which we helped define, or so I learned in history class. But near the end of our street, the buildings suddenly went over into the style of the largest group of inhabitants on Solbrecht. These modern houses, mostly build out of a sand-colored type of stone were the home of Mantrin families. They had everything of course, just like us. Clean running water, electricity, TV and a fast connection to the internet which was reaching global status with the help of the orbital satellites. In fact, I could already feel my phone vibrating in my pocket as it started downloading the latest updates and notifying me about the latest and greatest of everything marketers wanted us citizens to buy, all perfectly coupled to our personal preferences of course. _Please._ If I'd bought all those 'amazing' products up till now I'd have a loan so high I would be in dept for the rest of my life. But enough about that. Choosing to ignore it this morning, I tapped my pocket twice to silence the device, at least until I hit the school grounds and that was only a ten minute walk. No, the houses were definitely not the only thing. It were the people. As I walked by the second house when I crossed the street at the corner, it was like walking into another world. Or actually, like leaving my own and finding out my world is actually but an island in a sea of mixed cultures. Most of the people I suddenly found around me were Mantrins but our town called _Myr'uya_ as they called it in their local native language had quite a sizable population of humans too. Next to them we have the native Solbrechtians. They actually became somewhat of a minority on their own world. In fact, we barely see them in our town. They like to keep to themselves. And then we have all the minor species. Akrennians, Indarians and many more. It's one big melting pot. Again, I learned about all that in history class. Might tell you more about that some time. Right now, I'm greeting Tyru and Hohra who were preparing their two kids for school in near perfect _Saerinian_ which is one of their more widespread native languages. They were Gouregs, large slate gray colored examples of their species with eyes in bright blue or green or a combination of both. When talking to them their enormous triple-jointed legs that had always intrigued me seemed to close around you. Maybe the fact that I'm human and not exactly tall has something to do with it. My parents knew them personally and they had helped each other out on several occasions with matters such as babysitting the kids or helping with community work. They're nice people. Tyru is doing his best to be a good father and Hohra is so kind. And their kids are cute, I have no other word for it.

"Hello Rachel. Good morning to you," Tyru said in near perfect English, showing me a smile with more than a few teeth.

Hohra smiled kindly too, her right ear playfully twitching.

"Hello dear. Off to school again?"

"Yeah. I'm a little late so I need to hurry."

"Hi Rachel!" Eyza shouted cheerfully as her mother tried to wrap the straps of her backpack around her arms, which was surprisingly difficult as she just couldn't seem to keep them still at all.

Her little brother Oji merely looked at me with big gleaming blue eyes as he chewed on his fingers, his tail slowly whipping left and right.

"Hey guys, when am I going to see you again?"

"Tomorrow! We're gonna have lots of fun!"

"Sure will. Sorry I gotta run! Bye!"

"Have a nice day at school."

"Thank you, Hohra!"

* * *

And I had to run indeed. Retrieving my phone from my pocket, it automatically turned on, showing me on its floating holographic display that I had less than seven minutes left before first class and I still had three times more distance to cross than what I'd covered up till now. Running for about three blocks, nimbly evading people on the broad sidewalk, something I usually don't have much trouble with, I was still panting a little when I reached the school grounds but with a minute or two to spare. It could have something to do with the high humidity this morning, something I began to notice on the way. It's nothing uncommon here on Solbrecht though. Just as I stuck it back into my pocket, while covering the distance to the entrance I felt it vibrating again but I had no time to check for messages. I was at school anyway. Couldn't be that important. Before you ask, yes I'm a high school student in my final year, which matches perfectly with my age and I'm well in on my way to my final exam. But there are still a few classes to take and I'm studying hard lately.

Since I was late, I didn't expect to find anyone of my class outside so I made my way to the lockers, found mine, opened it with a quick thumb press on the fingerprint scanner, slipped what I needed inside my bag in a fluid motion and closed it with a metallic bang. The corridor behind me was filled mostly with humans, Mantrins and the occasional member of another species hastily trying to get to their classes. At this point my phone was vibrating again in my pocket. Slightly annoyed, I retrieved it and only then I noticed Clara standing next to me.

"You haven't seen it, right?"

Clara Adams was my best friend in high school but I knew this girl practically since kindergarten. We were inseparable. We disagreed, we even argue sometimes but we've done so many things together.

"What're you talking about? We have class."

At this point I was standing with my phone in hand, its display active but my face is directed at Clara's.

"Class is cancelled."

"Again?"

I let myself fall back against the locker next to mine, heaving a sigh, squeezing my eyes shut. So I ran for nothing and basically I could've stayed at home for about two more hours.

"Only the first hour though. We're getting a replacement for the second. I guess you didn't check your phone."

Looking down at the device in my hand, I noticed the update.

"Why couldn't we be notified earlier about this?"

"I dunno," Clara replied shrugging. "Warfield's been sick a lot lately. Wonder what he came down with this time. Perhaps Solbrechtian flu."

I chuckled.

"There's no such thing. So what's next?"

Clara sighed, squeezing her thin lips together, brushing her long blonde hair out of her face. Behind her, I noticed a couple of my classmates walking down the corridor toward us. Jaera, an Akrennian girl, sand-brown, tall of course and a little muscular, together with Denise Ingram, another one of my friends, Christina McFarlane and Scott Martin, her tall boyfriend. I never really liked her, for various reasons but one in particular. One that climbed to the top of my most annoying list real quick not so long ago. I didn't seem to notice this, but Clara did. The expression on my face must've resembled something like disgust when I noticed that Christina noticed me.

"Actually, we've been wanting to talk to you."

"We?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes rapidly switching between Clara's face and the approaching group.

The tone at which she said that didn't require me to ask. I know what this was about. Christina's group was but a small three meters away from us right now, Christina herself up front, with that look of eternal arrogance on her face. Her fancy clothes and expensive leather bag did nothing more but enhance that effect.

"Nice shoes," she said, her lips curved into a tiny mocking smile and the tone of her voice making me think twice about the true meaning of her words.

"At least I won't fall over when someone so much as blows in my direction," I replied, nodding at her shiny high heels that seemed to try very hard to pass the level of ridiculous. Ignoring the mocking look she tossed me after that I ignored her and directed my attention back to Clara, slipping the phone back into my pocket. "Clara, you wanted to talk to me."

Clara sighed, clearly hesitating. I felt that she could gauge my most likely reaction.

"The girls and I talked about it for a little while. We don't think you should be doing this."

_Not this again!_ I knew it. Why did they have to start about my relationship over and over again?

"You or them?" I asked irritably, pointing with my face in the direction of Christina and her group.

Scott crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of lockers, staring around as if he had nothing better to do. Denise had a serious look on her face, just like Clara. Jaera merely clenched her teeth together, showing them in the process. Christina however couldn't resist delivering her usual comments.

"It's not natural. Other than that it's just wrong."

"Like what? What's so wrong about it?!" I bit back.

She knew how to get on my nerves. Especially when she used that word, 'wrong' in her own special way.

"Duh, like _everything_. Look at you. You're kinda good looking I guess. Why don't you just find a guy who looks more like you? There are human guys in this school you know. With a little less of everything _he_ has." I could feel an adrenaline rush coming up. My head was glowing and it was always nice and cool in the building. I _hated_ when she talked like that. "Look at Jaera. She doesn't go hanging around the neck of human guys. She found a guy of her own species. And so does everybody else at this school and in this town but you. Do you wanna feel special or something? Is that why you're doing it?"

"Shut up!" I heard myself yell.

It seemed to echo between the walls. A few people who were within hearing range looked up but I didn't care. She had no right to talk like that.

"He should be knowing better too," Jaera shared her opinion, crossing her muscular arms. "Mantrins are known for being conservative. There are certain communities that don't particularly like our presence here. If they get wind of relationships between humans and Mantrins, they'll-"

"Shhht! There he is!" Denise hissed.

She hadn't said anything up till now. She was my friend but she was Christina's friend too. I was beginning to wonder at this point if they truly cared about my feelings, or Arzu's. Yep, that's his name. And he's walking toward us right now from the other side, saying goodbye in his own language to two of his friends who had class.

"Think about it, Rachel," Christina sneered, as she walked away in the opposite direction. "I'd make up my mind before something bad happens. Mark my words."

"Nothing bad will happen if you stay out of it!" I bit back at her, at which she simply shrugged without even looking back. Taking a few deep breaths, I leaned back against the locker again, feeling the coolness of the metal through my shirt. I dropped the bag from my shoulder and carefully placed it on the floor next to me.

"What was that all about?"

I didn't know what it was. I had heard the thumps of his large clawed feet on the stone floor long before he reached my position. But the sudden sound of his warm deep soothing voice had a calming effect on me, the anger dissipating as quickly as it emerged. I had my eyes closed but knew he was standing next to me. I could hear the soft thumping of his long tail on the floor, his deep calm breathing. When I finally opened my eyes, my head turned into the general direction of these sounds, I looked straight into his eyes. Those eyes with the color of amber in them, less common for his Sogowan race. He was capable of such a kind look, the one he gave me right now. He stood a little to my right, the closest part of his body being the middle segment of his left leg but he turned a little to face me more directly. He was a good head taller than me and he already told me he hadn't reached his full height yet but he probably wouldn't grow much taller than 6 foot 7, which was still considerable compared to my 5 foot 7. Even though he knew I definitely had days when I was in a better mood, he still smiled, revealing his white teeth and two of his fangs. Not many Mantrins had these but Arzu had four longer and sharper canines at the front of his beak-like mouth. His reddish brown skin was common for his race and he had that characteristic pattern of lighter spots, mainly his chest, beak, neck and the inside of his large ears.

"Do you really still have to ask?" I grumbled, a little under my breath.

Taking a breath, he raised his well-built shoulders and let his large muscular arms fall beside him. His right ear twitched playfully. His shoulder bag was hanging on his back over his left shoulder and he was dressed in his usual loose T-shirt and baggy shorts, exposing a great deal of his legs, leaving about three-quarters of his thighs covered. I sighed and turned my look down. Actually his calm responses made my anger fade completely in a matter of seconds.

"I guess we have some time to waste," I said, my mood getting better instantly in his presence.

"Rachel. C'mon smile."

I guess it was just the way he asked it. So kind, so longing. I couldn't resist. And I guess I couldn't resist what I did next either, especially when he spread his arms. Leaving my bag and the cold contact with the lockers for what they were, I stepped up to him and snuggled up to his warm broad chest, feeling his large arms closing entirely around me. His legs surrounded me like two large barriers, keeping out all the nasty things they said about us. I had to do my best but I managed to let the tips of my fingers meet each other at his back. And so I held on to him for a moment as he brushed with his beak through my hair. Taking a deep breath, I noticed the faint leathery bodily smell. All Mantrins had this, either leathery or sweet and Arzu had a hint of the latter too. I could hear him purr softly as he held me. We stood like this for a minute or so until he let go, placing his large soft hand on my cheek, careful not to scratch my skin with his claws. This actually already happened once before. You should've seen the look on his face! I thought he was going to cry, so sorry he was. There was quite a bit of blood and I had to get to the nurse but he was more shocked than I was. Yes, he is sensitive. More sensitive than those human guys Christina always talked about. Maybe that's another reason why I fell in love with him.

"So, what shall we do till class starts?" he asked, biting his lip.

I finally showed him that smile. One that provoked another one of his too. Looking to the right from the corner of my eye, I noticed Christina and her group were still waiting at the end of the corridor, throwing looks of what appeared to be disgust. What made me feel a bit easier about it was that Clara wasn't among them. I had an idea though.

"Arzu?"

"Hmm?"

As I gestured him to come down to my height just a little more, I moved my head toward his and placed a long soft kiss on the side of his beak. When I broke away slowly, keeping my head close, I felt the tip of his warm tongue against my cheek a second or two later. I giggled. Wiping it off with the back of my hand, I shook my head. In the meantime Arzu's cheeks and ears had developed a slight red color.

"We'll work on that. But you're cute."

He merely smiled, a bit shy, looking down at the floor.

"C'mon. Let's go outside."

"Sure."

Cheerful, laughing, watching Christina and her group leave with the same annoyed expressions on their faces us they always had when they saw as together I couldn't care less. Arzu and I love each other. What's wrong with that?


	2. Arzu

**Chapter 2 Arzu**

* * *

So now you know. Now you know why it was so unexpected. How could anyone expect that I would fall in love with someone so completely and utterly different from everything we humans are? As I still stand here on that hill on Sogowa, watching the bottom of the sun's golden circle touch the horizon, I think back of what happened later on that same day. It was but a normal day at school, boring as usual but there was no way I could know he had something in store for me, something special, something he wanted to show me.

"Rachel."

That's his voice. He's calling me. It's surprising how little his voice changed over the years. A tad heavier perhaps but just as warm and soothing, emphasizing his kindness. But I can't help but think back about that day. Letting him know where I was, my thoughts began to drift off again. Back to Solbrecht. Back to the world where I grew up and where my life was changed forever...

"Rachel!"

* * *

Why is it so warm in this classroom? Is the climate control system broken again? Fortunately it was my last hour. With Solbrecht's sun sneaking further and further into the classroom, which was starting to bare more and more resemblance to a stove and the system that should be keeping the temperature at comfortable levels obviously failing, my classmates were beginning to lose their concentration too. I sat next to Clara, close to the window, dozing off in the warmth, with my head snuggled into my arms. The window was open but the breeze coming from outside was warm too and carried that sweet scent that I recognized from this morning inside. The only thing that prevented me from completely falling asleep, was my silenced phone in my pocket on which I had been receiving secret text messages this whole hour. You guessed it. They're from him. I don't know how he did it because I think our teacher is catching on to us. I am solely to blame for that, cause I really couldn't keep my head straight anymore and wasn't subtle enough. It was way too warm, the lesson was as interesting as watching grass grow and watching the tail of another one of my classmates run in circles in front of me had the same effect as counting sheep.

"_Rachel!_"

It was as if someone splashed a bucket of water over my head, though at this moment that wouldn't have been so bad and I almost started craving for it. But the only thing I got was the gruff expression on the face of my human English teacher. He was an older man, a bit tall and lanky. A pair of old glasses would've fit him rather well. But he was definitely not the type of man you wanted against you. And he wasn't against me. But I was definitely testing his dwindling patience at this moment and I actually felt guilty for it.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rogers."

He sighed, exhaling through his oversized nostrils.

"Pay attention. I know it's warm." He dabbed his sweaty forehead with a somewhat grimy handkerchief as he said that, sighing. "But we only got a small half hour to go. And if you want to keep that phone, I suggest it stays in your pocket during that time."

I saw and heard some of my classmates, smirk or snigger in response, turning their heads in my direction but I didn't care.

"And you too, Arzu. I know who's sending her those messages."

"Yes, Mr. Rogers," he grumbled with his deep calm voice, obviously feeling a bit caught as he bowed his head down and his ears developed a bit of that red blush as I could see from my angle.

The lesson continued and though I was staring in the general direction of the holo-board, hoping I wouldn't be asked any questions, since I didn't have the slightest idea what I had been listening too with half an ear, my thoughts already drifted off the moment Mr. Rogers started talking again. Clara's face had a questioning look on it but she didn't ask. She could only guess as to the content of those messages. I'm pretty sure Christina would be delighted to know as well as I noticed her whispering in Jaera's large pointy ear, throwing scornful looks in my direction. I decided not to pay attention to it though she was definitely making it difficult as my head started to ache from frowning, or was it just the heat? Instead of looking at her, I decided to direct my eyes elsewhere, to the door, to the chrono above the doorframe, time ticking away dreadfully slowly. He came through that same door at the beginning of this year, in this very room. It was where we first laid eyes on each other. I remember it so well. It took some time before we finally got to know each other a little bit better. At that time, he was but a transfer student. His parents moved to our town from one of the bigger cities, looking for a much quieter life, away from the bustle. That he was a Mantrin surprised no one. Our class is pretty nicely mixed. Twenty-three individuals of which eleven are Mantrins, including Arzu, eight humans, including me, Jaera, our Akrennian girl, a Solbrechtian, large four-armed creatures who are actually the original inhabitants of the planet and two Indarians, fox-like creatures who wear special clothes to keep their bodies cool under their coat of fur. And so he joined our class to finish his final year of school with us. How we met? Well, it started with eye contact, on that first day I tell you. I remember how he stood there, a bit shy as he is, with the same sort of clothes on, only it was fall so he wore long baggy trousers to down below his lower set of knees. And as he introduced himself, telling us a tiny bit about how he came here, his voice simply trailed off when his eyes found mine, or the other way around, depends on how you look at it and we could barely hear the rest of what he had to say. I remember I quickly looked away, in an attempt not to make him feel even more embarrassed than he already was with his ears and cheeks blushing in crimson but it was too late. Nobody noticed it back then. The relationship between Arzu and me isn't that old yet and only began somewhere mid winter but it was a definite start. I couldn't help it either. He's so kind. So sensitive. A little cute. And to tell you the truth, his kind has always intrigued me. Those unique legs, a very complex set of limbs actually. His long muscular tail. His sweet face, very kind looking, especially for a member of his species. And his hands are so soft. He's gentle in every way. Sometimes I think he's the only one of his kind born without any temper at all as, to be honest, Mantrins do have a quite a temper sometimes. We've had one throw a tantrum in the corridor once or twice. We've had fights on the school grounds, occasionally actually and though it's not a pretty sight, I guess it all belongs in such a unique civilization as here on Solbrecht. It's almost impossible for those other than their own kind to separate them when they decide to use their fists. But not Arzu. Arzu always makes sure to stay out of it and simply shrug it off. Other than that they've never actually bothered him with anything, not even our relationship. It's all directed toward me instead. But at least I'm glad they're leaving him alone.

"All right. We still got ten minutes but I'm calling it a day," Mr. Rogers said. "Class dismissed."

I didn't even hear this. My thoughts were anywhere but in this classroom. I only noticed because everyone around me stood up, the tail of my Mantrin classmate sitting in front of me slamming against the underside of my desk with such force I yelped slightly.

"Sorry," she uttered as she maneuvered out of our row on her way out.

"It's okay."

Things like that sometimes happen. They're pretty large, a bit hulking perhaps and this requires every obstacle in every room to be spaced out widely to allow them to move around with relative ease. Quickly grabbing my stuff and shoving it my bag, I stood up to join. Clara was waiting for me.

"Hey eh, do you wanna join me and the girls? We're going out for a drink. God, I could really use something refreshing."

"Eh, I eh..."

I was aware of the hesitation in my own voice. She probably already knew or at least suspected something but she didn't want to ask.

"Clara, what're you-" "Oh." It was Christina, stepping back into the draining classroom. Mr. Rogers had already packed his stuff too and wished us a nice day, before leaving, small briefcase in hand. Putting her hands on her hips, Christina snorted derisively, pulling her long hair out of her face with a single finger, looking annoyed as always. "Well if she doesn't wanna come, it doesn't mean we can't go. I'm pretty sure, she has more important matters to attend to right now. Or should I say, _matter_?"

That look she threw me really made me want throw something at her. If we still had books or anything like that it would've made a nice projectile. Faking a smile, she spun around on a single one of her high heels and walked away, expecting Clara to follow.

"I'm sorry. Something came up. Maybe next time."

A bit disappointed, she nodded.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun."

"I'll call you this evening, okay? I-I need to talk to you. Please?"

She turned around one more time and finally smiled.

"Sure. We're friends and we need to talk. Without Christina. She isn't very subtle, I know but I think she's afraid. I'll tell you tonight. Bye."

"Bye."

Well, my best friend was right about that. Christina was anything _but_ subtle in everything she did. Her behavior, her clothes, her whole attitude. I just don't know what to do with her sometimes. I can't make her out. One moment, she's kinda nice, in her own sort of way. The other she's like a serpent, with really sharp fangs. Well let me tell you this. I hope these fangs won't break when they hit rock. Lately it's more of the latter actually and that has a reason. As the last person to leave the room, throwing the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I breathed a soft but audible sigh of relief when I stepped into the coolness of the corridor, closing the door behind me, leaning back against it. My classmates were gone and the corridor was empty as Mr. Rogers dismissed our class early, except for one other person. He had been waiting patiently for me to leave the room and was standing on my left, end of his tail slowly whipping, creating a rustling sound on the stone floor. His ears both twitched, one shortly after the other. He smiled when I looked at him, studied him, wondering what he was up to with me. I was actually extremely curious but deliberately withheld myself from showing it to him. What I noticed was that he didn't even appear to be sweating, at all. I had done my best but my shirt was still feeling a bit moist. Obviously his species was much better adapted to this climate.

"Phew, it's warm. And it's just spring," I sighed, exhaling quickly, taking in a fresh breath of cool air.

Summers on Solbrecht could be really hot, especially in the region where I lived. Even in spring temperatures could rise to as much as thirty degrees. According to the latest predictions we were looking at a record this year.

"Are you feeling all right?"

So much concern about something so simple. His voice was coated with it. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Arzu, I'm fine. I really won't melt into a puddle."

He looked down at the floor again. I noticed he was curling the three sharp-clawed toes on each of his feet, his tail sweeping the floor again. He was a bit nervous, something I understood. He made the first move this time.

"Well, do you wanna come with me?"

"What're you up to?" I asked teasingly, giving him a fond look.

"I eh. I wanna show you something. It's a surprise."

If he was that sure about it, I was pretty convinced it had to be special. He was a bit timid with these sorts of things. Not that we hadn't done anything together before but usually I had to ask. Although I secretly liked watching him struggle a little with his feelings, I really don't want to be mean, I also didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable so of course I had already made up my mind.

"Of course I'll go with you."

I watched his large ears perk up in a speedy motion, his tiny smile widening, showing a lot of sharp sparkling white in the process.

"All right. C'mon."

Gesturing me to come with him, he reached for my hand. I took it, or actually I grabbed two of his fingers. As he started walking, careful where he placed his right foot with each step as I walked with him we eventually had to let go. His movements were careful, almost graceful but with his arm stretched out and his leg bent under an angle that seemed uncomfortable to me, I just decided to walk next to him, keeping a bit of distance to allow him to walk as comfortable as he liked. We left the building and walked into the thick blanket of humid warmth laying over the town. Fortunately a slight breeze alleviated the heaviness a bit. Again, he didn't seem to have that much trouble with it, breathing as calmly as he usually did as he walked with almost fluid grace, hopping up and down only slightly. It is fascinating to see if it's your first time, believe me but it looks very natural, not awkward at all after maybe only a little while. When we left the school grounds, he took a left turn, more in the direction of his house. He didn't live that far from me actually. I could easily walk the distance in twenty, maybe fifteen minutes but his house was close to the border of the town. _Myr'uya_ is surrounded by large deciduous forests on multiple sides, stretching out for dozens of miles. They are filled with a rich collection of flora and fauna. The most wonderful creatures and plants, some of them dangerous though. Also, many of the forests on Solbrecht are the home of numerous indigenous tribes of Mantrins. They're generally peaceful but people have been attacked in these forests as a result of them being mistaken for the animals they hunt for food. It certainly wasn't wise to go in there alone.

"Are you taking me home?" I asked him eventually, after a few minutes of watching various sorts of vehicles drive and hover by on the street.

Looking to the side he smiled.

"It's not that far. I promise. You'll see."

He was being mysterious about it. Not that I didn't like that but I still wondered. He was not taking me to his house, that was for sure but when we reached the end of the street, I figured we were perhaps only five minutes away from his home. Still he kept walking. Now I knew it but I think I figured it out the moment he passed the point where the houses along the street guided us in the only direction we were still able to go to. Straight ahead, over the small layer of grass at the foot of the forest, the tall trees filled with lush green. Although it was technically spring, the tropical climate in this region caused temperatures never to drop below a degree or ten. Trees only lost some of their leaves in winter and quickly regrow them when temperatures start climbing again. Edible plants are available as a source of food for the indigenous throughout the year. But Arzu seemed bent on taking me in there, something I wasn't allowed to. My parents warned me dozens of times about the dangers of the forest, as a child and even now with me being 17 years old.

"Arzu?" He flicked an ear and halted, his one foot on the soft grass, his other still on the last piece of pavement. He could hear the hesitation in my voice. I really didn't want to disappoint him but the tone of my voice already did, apparently. Still, the word of my parents echoed in the back of my mind. I had made a promise to them too. "I'm... not allowed to go in there," I said as subtly as I could.

His ears drooped, only slightly, but it made me feel immeasurably guilty at that moment. The one time he asked me to do something with him and I were about to blow it up in his face. _Stupid!_ But he wasn't ready to give up yet, apparently. Turning around to fully face me, with both feet back on the pavement he gnawed on his lip and scratched the back of his neck.

"I'll be with you. It's not that far." I sighed, looking to the side, at the long grass waving in the breeze. I couldn't look at his eyes and yet I could feel them trying to find mine. The longer I stood there, not saying a word, the more I wanted to go actually. "I'll protect you."

Now that actually sounded convincing, especially for someone with his physique. If he were human I would have laughed.

"From what?" he said grinning, looking up, in those gleaming pools of amber.

This really seemed to mean a lot to him.

"I-I dunno."

He shrugged. _You tell me._ He didn't say it but I could feel it was on his mind. Already feeling guilty for ignoring the many warnings of my parents I gave in. _How could I not?_ I didn't want to disappoint him and that look he gave was simply impossible to say no to. He chuckled. There was so much joy trying to show on his face that I was about to take back that comment about me melting. I _was_ going to melt if he kept doing that. Before I knew it, he had grabbed my arm by the wrist, surprisingly subtle but still I was tugged along when he suddenly seemed in a hurry. I felt like a leaf, haplessly caught in the stormy wind, unable to control my own direction.

"Arzu!" I yelled, as I was dragged along. We quickly reached the shade of the forest which provided us with a nice sense of coolness. In the meantime Arzu had let go of my arm but the trees were growing up a rather steep hill and though he didn't have trouble climbing it with his strong legs, I was less fortunate. The forest wasn't very dense though and between the tall trees there were numerous bushes, smaller trees, moss, grass, flowers and more kinds of indigenous plant life. I was careful not to touch anything, especially with my half length jeans and T-shirt which left many spots vulnerable to be hurt and I was still hurrying after Arzu's tail which I tried to use as a point of guidance as I climbed up the hill. I quickly started to pant as it was tough and carrying my shoulder bag along, although it wasn't heavy or anything, it was even tougher. "Arzu, wait up!" It didn't seem to stop. I wondered if there was going to be a top anytime soon. I couldn't see it. And at a given moment, I'd lost track of him too in the bushes. _Great._ I kept on climbing though, trying to keep my hair out of my slightly sweaty face so I could still see where I was going.

When I'd finally reached the top, I was out of breath, I couldn't see him and I actually felt guilty for doing this. I wasn't angry with him. He's was just more used to members of his own kind with much more strength than me. Female Mantrins are in no way different than males in this regard.

"Arzu, where are you?" I tried to raise my voice but hardly succeeded. I was still trying to catch my breath, resting the palms of my sweaty hands on my thighs, standing bent forward. I walked a few steps, but hadn't accounted for a large buzzing insect that was unable to change course and hit me in the face. I could hear myself scream. I stumbled backwards in shock, couldn't see where I was going. I almost fell, gravity being aided by the weight of my bag. Waving my arms frantically I prepared for the fall.. but was caught by two strong arms and a large soft belly. I had closed my eyes at this point but when I opened them, still taking in air with deep breaths, aggravated by the shock of the insect and the fall, I looked into two triangular amber-colored eyes, underneath them a beak curved into a smile. Upside down of course. My forehead shaped itself into a frown though and with his aid, pushing me back up, I came back on my feet. Turning around, I was actually a bit irritated and though I tried to show it to him, it really didn't come out the way I intended it, for obvious reasons. "It's not funny," I said, unable to keep myself from smiling though. He smiled back, a bit sheepish, with his mouth open a little. "Where were you? I couldn't follow. You moved so fast."

"I lost you. So I went back looking."

"You didn't lose me. I lost _you_. You were way too fast. I couldn't keep up."

Digging the claws of his feet into the soft soil, he placed his hands on his thighs, plucking the somewhat frayed hems of his shorts.

"I'm sorry."

I'd already lost every single drop of what little irritation I felt. So I stepped up to him.

"Don't be. You meant well. Besides, if you hadn't gone back, I would've hit the dirt." His face brightened up. Stepping up to him, I hugged him. Even though I was perhaps a bit sweaty, he didn't seem to mind, brushing through my hair with his hand, caressing my head. He was sweet. I actually held on to him longer than I intended at first but he didn't mind at all. I could hear him purr softly, a relaxed sound coming from deep within his throat. With my head placed on his chest, I could feel the subtle vibrations as he did this together with the powerful beat of his pair of hearts. Yes, Mantrins have two hearts actually. They're like two big war drums, pounding slowly but powerfully. It's really comforting to listen to. "So what do you wanna show me?"

I looked up in his arms, my chin on his chest. He had carefully wrapped them around me over my back, placing his feet slightly closer together, his legs closing around me. Looking down at me, the tip of his soft muzzle almost touching my forehead, the warm air coming out of his nostrils tickling my skin, he grinned.

"Let me show you. We're almost there."

As he said this I could smell the sweet scent on his breath. It wasn't unpleasant at all. A little fruity perhaps. It's natural for Mantrins who take good care of their teeth and Arzu's were sparkling white. Bringing my hand to his face, placing it on the side of his leathery beak, I placed a very subtle kiss between his nostrils. The moment my lips came in contact with the soft skin between them, he inhaled deeply, clearly not prepared for this. I moved back slightly, thereby allowing him to return my affection his way, by drawing the tip of his tongue over my forehead. Just like earlier this morning, it was very subtle and slightly endearing, or so I thought. Again I giggled, wiping it off on his shirt. And again, his cheeks and ears had developed that red color.

"C'mon, show me," I growled, burying my head in his chest in a playful manor, shaking it.

"All right," he said with a smirk when I broke away.

Actually, as I stepped back from him I started to become more aware of my surroundings. We were standing on top of a hill but technically the town was located in between these large hills, forming a natural border between it and some larger bodies of water on the other side. I knew this because I'd seen it from the air a few times and of course from pictures on the web. My parents and I rarely leave town and when we do it's usually farther away so we go by aircraft. That reminds me, I still had to text my mom.

"Just a sec, Arzu. I promised my mom I'd text her if something came up."

"Sure."

Retrieving my phone from my pocket, display turning on, I quickly typed a message. But I barely had three words when I realized what I was doing. I was in the forest, where I wasn't supposed to be under any circumstances. I was with Arzu which my parents didn't approve of either, especially my dad. Stupid, I know. And the combination of both would make him freak out completely if he found out. Instead, I did something I rarely used to do, until Arzu and I developed something together. I lied. So I made something up, using the idea of Clara and the other girls about drinking something after school as the excuse. I was almost done when I noticed Arzu had retrieved his phone, which was considerably larger to allow for easier use with his much larger hands and with a much bigger holographic display. He was just checking obviously because it disappeared back into his pocket when I pocketed mine.

"Your parents know?"

He nodded briefly.

"They do. You know, I come here more often. It's really beautiful." Retrieving my hand, holding it carefully between his large fingers, he walked backwards in the other direction, dragging me with him. And of course I went. I was too curious. "You'll love it." I was more than convinced of that.


	3. Serious Talks

**Chapter 3 Serious Talks**

* * *

I know! I know! You're just as curious right now as I was about what Arzu had in store for me. I was infected by his enthusiasm. I keep thinking back about that day. A lot of things happened. Things I would clearly remember later on. The day wasn't perfect you know, but at least the most important part was. Oh how I couldn't contain my excitement when he finally showed me his surprise.

"Rachel." There he was. First I could only see his ears due to the curvature of the rather steep hill, then quickly came his head, torso and his strong legs as he climbed to the top where I stood. His face was dominated by that same smile he always saved for me. To be honest, I already thought he was big back then and didn't expect him to grow much more and neither did he. But we were both wrong. You should see him now. Almost seven feet. 5 foot 8 was all I managed to reach. "Hey, what's up?"

He gave me that fond look of his so I returned it with one of my own. He barely changed.

"Oh nothing." I looked down at his three-toed feet, my thoughts already back on Solbrecht, with him, my hand between his soft fingers. "I'm just thinking. About that day you showed me your special place."

His ears lowered a little.

"Oh that."

"You don't think it's stupid now, do you? I really liked it." He smiled. "I really did."

* * *

He kept telling it wasn't far the entire time along the way but we were still walking together through that forest for about a minute or two before the rays of the sun began to penetrate the lush vegetation that became a little denser as we went deeper into the forest. He let go of my hand but this time he made sure I could keep up, looking over his shoulder two or three times to see if I was still there. I was feeling excited for various reasons. One was my curiosity which was fed by Arzu's own excitement. I couldn't wait until we were there. Another was the excitement you usually feel when you're doing something you're not allowed to, even though you've been told numerous times by those who consider themselves older and wiser than you, namely your parents. Still the curiosity and the fact that I didn't want to disappoint him were my main reasons. And then finally, as the forest became less and less dense and we reached a small open plateau on top of the luxuriant ridge, I gasped in surprise at the amazing view. It was a small open grass-covered spot surrounded by the forest but with a very steep descend on the other side. From this spot we looked straight into a large valley, surrounded on all sides by large hills. It was pretty deep and the edge looked a bit scary but I was too amazed to be scared. In the middle was a large lake, surrounded by more forest. On both sides waterfalls thundered into the deep, the rushing sound of the water falling more than a hundred meters down forming only one instrument of nature, supplying the lake with a constant never-ending stream of water. We were surrounded by twittering birds, chirping insects, the sound of a gentle breeze moving the leaves of the trees. Within a second of letting my eyes fall on this wonderful sight, I realized in an instant it was worth it.

"It's... it's beautiful."

I'd never seen it from a distance where I could actually make out the mesmerizing details, even though it's actually so close to my home. It also made me realize how much I loved the world on which I grew up. Solbrecht had places which were so breathtakingly beautiful.

"You like it?" Arzu asked, with a bit of hopefulness in his voice.

When he said that I secretly wondered what he would say if I said no. It would probably break his hearts or at least something similar. It would be mean, I know and on top of that it would be horrible lie.

"Oh I really do," I said as convincing as I could. It made him happy, I could see it in his eyes, his whole body language. His tail tapped the ground with soft thumps. Taking his bag off his shoulder he lowered it to the ground, placing it gently on the cushion of grass under our feet. I decided to do the same. It wasn't heavy but still it was starting to feel uncomfortable with the humid warmth. And besides, there was no one here to take it and run. "Except for that," I added with a frown, nodding toward the left side of the steep hills which had formed rocky cliffs due to natural erosion.

Embedded into the rocks at the bottom of these cliffs was a large artificial structure. I knew about this though. I just never saw it with my own eyes. It was a hydroelectric plant, considerably important for supplying our town with electricity. However that didn't take away that it wasn't a pretty sight. It ruined the picture so to speak. Arzu however seemed rather indifferent about it. He shrugged.

"It's clean energy. It's better than some of those other things they build such as those nuclear plants I heard about. The water they use to cool those things comes out polluted and harmful." I detected a lot of concern in his voice. However, I could only agree with him. He was right. "We had one of those in the city where I came from. There was a lot of protest from my people eventually. They wanted it shut down. It harms the planet." At this point I didn't really know what to say. Humans were responsible for building these things. Some of our technologies, even with new and advanced techniques still had their downsides and this was one of them. Fortunately Arzu changed the subject, maybe because he could see I felt a bit uncomfortable. He smiled again. "Wait here," he said, using his hand to gesture me to stay put. So I did, wondering what he was up to now. But he didn't go far. In fact he didn't even disappear out of sight. Taking firm steps he walked back to where the forest started, to the left. I hadn't even paid that much attention to the trees but I noticed the one he was looking at was loaded with an orange-colored fruit, about the size of a good-sized apple. They hung pretty high but Arzu simply stretched his legs, allowing him to reach incredible heights. Feeling the pieces of fruit with his hands, carefully looking at them he eventually picked one from the branch. Sinking back to his normal height he turned it around in his hands, carefully studying it for a second before walking back to me. As he returned to me I could see what it was. A _Yujaa_. They were delicious and this one in particular seemed just the right color to be perfectly ripe. Holding it out to me with both hands, as if presenting me a present, the edges of his beak curled up slightly. "Here, try it. It's really good."

Trusting him completely, not even thinking for a second it could be something different by mistake, I took the soft sphere from his hands. Bringing it closer to my face, I smelled first, taking in the characteristic scent. The smell was strong and I was right. It was deliciously ripe. He watched me as I did this, waiting for me to take the first bite, so I put my teeth into it. Not taking into account that it was soft and filled with sweet and refreshing juice, it splattered slightly into my face and spilled on my shirt. With my mouth full of the soft flesh of the _Yujaa_, I yelped and tried to contain my laughter at the same time, holding my dripping hands and the piece of fruit away from my clothes before I could stain them even more. Chewing slowly, as the sweet juice dripped from my chin I tried not to spit it all out in laughter.

"You like it?"

Covering my mouth with my other hand I nodded, trying to keep my hair out of my face and prevent it from getting all sticky in the process. It made him so happy.

"It's really good," I laughed, swallowing for the second time.

"Oh, your shirt," he mumbled softly, noticing the wet stain, ears lowering.

I shook my head, waving his worries away in a dismissive gesture.

"It's fine. I'll just throw it in the washer." Taking a second bite, really enjoying the rich taste as well as satisfying the bit of thirst I felt, I decided to sit down into the soft grass. Opening my bag with my clean hand, I retrieved a small packet of tissues. Fiddling a bit with it I eventually managed to pull one out of the packet and wiped my chin. In the meantime, Arzu sat down at a small distance from me, his thick tail lying flat on the grass. Both our bags were lying behind us. Stretching his long legs in front of him, he placed his hands flat on the ground so that they formed a ninety degree angle with his arms which ran parallel to his body. Even when sitting, he was much taller than me as I sat with my legs half crossed, still enjoying the _Yujaa_. "It's really delicious. Won't you have one?"

He looked at me with that playful look in his eyes, one ear twitching.

"No no, I'm... I'm good. Maybe later."

"Okay." As I finished eating I enjoyed the wonders of nature, perhaps just as much as Arzu did. Our looks constantly turned in different directions. First I was staring ahead into the distance where the water of the lake in the middle of the valley formed a broad river that seemed to coil endlessly toward the horizon. Then I looked around me, up at the tall trees proving us with a nice bit of shade with their roof of leaves, protecting us from the powerful rays of Solbrecht's sun. After cleaning my hands with a tissue I looked to the side at Arzu. When I was eating I noticed from the corner of my eye that he frequently looked at me but right now he had his eyes closed, leaning backward a little on his strong arms, his beak pointing in the air as if he were trying to smell or taste it. It was almost a kind of meditative state, near motionless, only his ears swiveling in the direction of the sounds around us, completely calm and relaxed. As I called his name, I almost felt sorry for disturbing him. But instead, he opened his eyes and looked at me, smiling. "You said you come here more often." He nodded. "So, what do you do when you're here?"

He took a slight breath, gently scratching his back under his shirt with a pair of claws.

"I just sit and watch and listen. Sometimes I study, work on school stuff."

"All alone?"

At least it seemed rather lonely to me. I often studied with other classmates. We helped each other out, worked together to solve problems and explain them to each other. But Arzu didn't share my opinion about the lonely part. He shook his head.

"I'm not alone. There's life all around us even as we speak. It's really relaxing. Helps me to concentrate." It seemed unconventional to me but I had to admit, it was really peaceful. It certainly didn't seem to hurt his grades either. Mantrins were very intelligent beings and Arzu's head housed a bright mind as his report cards proved. "But, it's even better when you're with me."

He bit his bottom lip with his upper canines, eyes twinkling. I laughed lightly.

"And I'm glad I came with you. I love it here."

"You know, I discovered this spot pretty quickly when I moved here with my parents. In the city we didn't have spots like these. I was glad when we moved to this town."

I smiled. I was glad too. I was glad that I met him. I was truly in love. I could feel it in every inch of my body. A tingling sensation. My heart was beating faster. I couldn't look into his eyes without resisting the urge to wrap my arms around him and hold on. So eventually I moved closer to him, until I was only a few inches away from his right arm.

"Arzu? I love you."

It caught him a bit off guard. He blushed again but not as fiery as when I kissed him on his nose. Instead he looked at me with an affectionate look in his eyes. This easily erased all doubt about the feeling being mutual. He was in love with me head over heels but he was so gentle about showing it, a bit hesitant. I liked that about him, watching him struggle with his feelings. Made me fell in love with him even more every time.

"_Nyemahja Ishvé."_ I did speak a word of _Saerinian_ but I had never heard that one before. It sounded beautiful. In every one of their languages, they had beautiful expressions and most of the time these didn't translate well into any other language. When Arzu noticed my frown he tried to explain. "I'm not sure if I can translate. It's not the same. It loses its deeper meaning. But it's something like: _I love you eternally._"

Hearing that truly set my heart on fire. I was fascinated by their culture, so rich, so wonderfully different. But their speech and their writing intrigued me in particular. Certain pieces contained a much deeper meaning which didn't translate well.

"Then don't translate it. I don't just hear. I can feel what you're trying to say to me." At that moment I crawled the last bit of distance toward him and placed my body against his. In a response he gently wrapped a muscular arm around me, nuzzling with his beak through my hair, inhaling slowly. I rested my cheek on his chest, feeling his warmth, noticing the faint leathery smell of his body. "You're so gentle."

I heard him purring softly as I listened to it and his heartbeat at the same time.

"I... I don't wanna hurt you."

I looked up into his face, my nose almost touching his. Bringing my hand up to his face, I caressed his cheek, which he seemed to find pleasant.

"You won't hurt me. You're way too sweet." I softly kissed that soft spot between his nostrils again, longer this time. This time however he seemed a bit more prepared for it. In fact, he closed his eyes and simply caressed the moment. "You know what," I said as I broke away. "I'm gonna teach you that."

Releasing myself from his strong arm, I repositioned myself, kneeling with my legs parallel to each other, my feet supporting my buttocks. Arzu wasn't so sure about it yet as his right ear flattened and he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Eh, Rachel? I'm not so sure. I don't think my beak is made for that."

I took a slight breath and smiled.

"All right. If you really feel uncomfortable about it we won't do it."

"I-I'll try."

I had to admit, in theory it sounded like it could work but now that I had the time to study his face and the structure of his mouth I wasn't so sure about it anymore. But still most Mantrins were more than just a little capable of bringing their mouth into the right shape. Their beak-like muzzles were pretty flexible.

"Okay, just do as me. Just pucker your lips. Like this." So I exaggerated a little, shaping my mouth like a little duck. Watching him trying to imitate me nearly made me laugh. He really wasn't used to it. It wasn't utterly bad but he didn't seem capable of bending his mouth into the right shape on his own. So I decided to aid him. With both hands, gently of course, I grabbed his beak, using my thumbs to bend the edges a little so that his lips formed a bit of a protruding surface at the end. It did help that he didn't have that much of a sharp overhanging tip, otherwise this would've been next to impossible. Still the result made me proud, thought it certainly looked a bit odd and I definitely wouldn't have done this in public. It would have made him feel embarrassed to the point that his head bared more resemblance to an Earth tomato. "Okay, hold it like that. Close your eyes again." And so he did. And while he did this I puckered my lips and when I brought them in contact with his, he sucked a bit of the air out of my mouth. It wasn't a French kiss but it was most certainly the first time I kissed him on the lips. There were no signs that he did not enjoy it so I broke off and did it again, more intense this time but again without the tongue. That would be enough for the first time. As I broke contact, he breathed some of that sweet breath into my face and opened his eyes. I suspected he'd been holding it in suspense the entire time. I laughed. "You should relax."

Licking his lips, he swallowed and smiled awkwardly.

"That was..."

"Odd?" I asked with a frown, fearing it wasn't such a good idea after all.

"A bit strange but, I liked it."

I giggled.

"You kidding? That was your first kiss." He turned his head away but shyly kept looking at me with his amber-colored eyes. So that's how I did it. That was the first time Arzu and I kissed. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside especially now that he admitted that he liked it. "But your way certainly has its charm too."

I referred to those tiny licks of love he used to give me from time to time, especially after I kissed him. He laughed shyly, his large rounded shoulders shaking a bit.

"You really won't mind?"

"No. Though I could do with a little less saliva sometimes. But it's sweet." I couldn't contain my laughter, especially when his cheeks and ears developed that slight red tint again. I felt warm. Very warm. A little too warm perhaps and I was sweating a bit under my clothes. So that's why I decided to do what I did next. Grabbing the collar of my short-sleeved shirt I pulled it over my head in a single fluid motion, absent-mindedly tossing it in the general direction of our bags. The slight breeze did great at providing a sense of coolness in the shade of the trees. I only wore a casual bra underneath to support my breasts and I really hadn't accounted for Arzu's reaction as I brushed my slightly curly dark brown hair down and out of my face. Remember that tomato I mentioned earlier? Of course he had never seen me like this but I figured since we both admitted our mutual love for each other, there was nothing wrong with it. He had his head turned away as if afraid to look at me. "Arzu, it's all right." I placed my hand on top of his and squeezed softly. He looked at me, still blushing. "You can take off your shirt too if you want. It's too warm to wear clothes anyway. I know it's way too far but that lake looks really inviting from here."

After some slight hesitation, he decided to do as me. It really wasn't my intention to arouse him, honestly. As I knew, Mantrins didn't care about their clothing, about fancy accessories or bodily makeup. They appreciate the beauty of the body itself in all its forms. A nicely rounded or muscular physique. Smooth soft skin. Beautiful eyes, such as his. A nice set of teeth. Pulling his shirt over his head, ears flapping back into position as the collar let go of them, he tossed it toward our stuff. I was impressed by his muscular physique. It was very visible through his shirt but now I had the chance to look at his natural appearance. His reddish brown skin was very smooth and as I knew very soft and the transition between it and his lighter tan brown patches, namely his underbelly, chest area, neck and his beak was a gradual shift in color, with his nipples being a very dark shade of brown. The size of his chest would make any human male green with envy. His arms and shoulders were very well built, at least I thought so since there were definitely examples of his kind which were even more muscular, to extreme levels perhaps. But it looked very natural. I couldn't imagine a Mantrin without the impressive strength of his or her muscles. They were very nicely distributed over his shoulders, arms and chest area, with smooth transitions between the different muscle groups, not bulbous and ugly such as those human bodybuilders you often see in magazines. They wouldn't stand a chance against Arzu anyway. I smiled. I thought he was handsome so I told him, making him smile.

"You're so strong."

"You really think so? I'm sure there are other guys of my kind who are stronger than me."

I shook my head.

"But none of them are as kind and gentle as you are. Arzu, I love you for who you are. Nothing else matters."

Pulling his triple-jointed legs a little closer to his body, he rested his arms on his thighs and looked at me.

"You're beautiful. You're really kind to me."

Touching my hand to his right cheek, I caressed it with my fingers.

"Because you deserve it. But Arzu? I've been wanting to talk to you about something. It's about our relationship." As I moved back a little, creating a little space for a more serious conversation about a matter that bugged me ever since people knew we had feelings for each other. He heaved a small sigh, directing his stare into the space between his legs. I knew I felt the same when I heaved that same sigh. I didn't want to ruin this moment with him together but the setting was so private I figured now would be a good time. "Don't worry. I just told you. I really love you, with all my heart but I'm sure you've noticed how everyone seems against us being together."

It was true. Almost everyone who knew me didn't approve of my relationship with him. From my parents to my friends and even my classmates. And even people from other classes who heard it from everybody else. People who didn't even know me or Arzu. The only two people who were trying their best to understand, even though they didn't share my opinion about intimacy between people from two different species, were my best friend Clara and my mom. My mom was being influenced too much by my dad who sometimes seemed almost disgusted by the idea. They didn't hate Mantrins. Tyru and Hohra were friends of my parents but when they got wind of my relationship with Arzu even they didn't know how to react, so they didn't say anything, creating a really awkward and uncomfortable situation in our living room during one of their visits, one I walked out of. All the times I met them later on, they pretended the feelings Arzu and I had for each other didn't exist. Clara tried her best too but even she was being manipulated, by Christina. Oh, how I hated her sometimes. She just loves to gossip, especially about me and Arzu. I think Clara is the best in understanding me. At least she gives me the idea she cares about what I feel. She knows Arzu a little. She likes him but lately, because of our relationship, even she distanced herself a little from him, as if our love was some kind of disease and she might become infected by it. It makes me feel sick, even now when I just think about it. Arzu sighed again after a moment of silence and scratched his shoulder.

"My parents for a example have a hard time understanding. They don't understand how I can feel something for you. Much more than I've ever felt for a human guy." I could almost hear his brain processing, trying to come up with an appropriate response. He still hadn't looked back at me, as I kept talking to him. "What about your parents? Do they, approve?"

It was then, when I asked him this direct question that he looked at me. He wasn't angry. In fact the expression on his face was rather neutral, indifferent. First I thought he was just going to shrug it off.

"They know," was his eventual answer. "They've never asked anything about it. Never told me they mind." He snorted and flicked an ear, his tail nervously and infrequently tapping the ground behind him. "My friends thought it was weird but we never really talk about it. But there's this guy from eleventh grade that stepped up to me once with some of his friends. They're Mantrins, just so you know and..."

He remained silent after that, pressing the tip of his beak into his left thigh. It worried me for some reason. I was afraid that they did or said something to him.

"Did they hurt you?" He shook his head again. His ears sagged and he suddenly seemed really sad. "Arzu, you can tell me."

"They... they said mean things about you. They asked me how I could have a relationship with an ugly human. They told me to be ashamed of myself." He looked up at me, his amber-colored eyes filled with sadness and affection at the same time. "Well, I don't think you're ugly. I think you're beautiful. And I love you."

I suddenly had such pity on him. I didn't even care about what they said about me. They hurt his feelings and that made me sad and angry at the same time. So I crawled back toward him on my knees and from the side wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. As his body temperature was slightly higher than mine, his skin felt warm and smooth. And so I held on to him, gently stroking the back of his head and ears, placing a soft kiss in his neck. He carefully wrapped his arm around me and placed his large hand on the slim of my back, nuzzling with his beak to the back of my shoulder, his warm breath tickling my skin. It lasted for more than a minute or so I guessed before we finally let go. The look in his eyes was still a bit sad.

"We just don't listen," I told him, with my hands on his cheeks, looking straight into his eyes. "If you love me and I love you, that's all that matters."

He smiled again, his ears climbing back to their normal position.

"Okay." This time he made the next move. In an attempt to kiss me he gently brought the tip of his beak into contact with my cheek and brushed his lips against my skin. It was a daring attempt I had to admit and I didn't really expect it. So this time it was my time to blush when he broke contact. "Was that bad?" he asked in a really unsure way.

I laughed.

"It was good enough."


	4. A Word of Warning

**Chapter 4 A Word of Warning**

* * *

Yes, that was the first time Arzu and I talked about our relationship and how it was viewed by others. We knew it probably wasn't going to change any time soon. But we accepted that. We couldn't change the opinion of the entire planet all in one day's time. We also couldn't ignore what my heart and both of his were telling us. It was so unfair. Yet, that day we made the unspoken promise to each other that nobody would be able to tear us apart that easily.

"I guess that was just the start, eh?"

Well he's right about that. It was the start of a lot of things actually. We admitted to each other. Our relationship definitely grew stronger that day. It gave me the feeling I could talk to him about everything, trust him with my greatest secrets. Mantrins are very honest and trustworthy you know. They seldom lie. It's not their way.

"It sure was, Arzu. It sure was. You heard about what happened at the end of that day much later."

It wasn't exactly the ending of the day I hoped for but nonetheless expected. No, time wasn't really on our side that day. In fact we lost track of it completely.

* * *

It was a wonderful afternoon but time progresses so fast when you're enjoying yourself. It seems to speed up and especially when you lose track of it, it'll get you in trouble. And let that be exactly what happened to us, or to me actually still on that same day, late in the afternoon. I didn't know how it happened but it did. One moment we were chatting about various topics, namely school and the issues in the world of nowadays, mainly trying to avoid talk about our relationship. We just agreed that the opinions of others were something we didn't care about. At one point however I, he or we both started to get just a little sleepy. So we napped, or actually, Arzu laid himself stretched out into the soft grass, bare-chested with his tail between his legs and he didn't mind when I used his chest and belly on one side as a pillow. So I comfortably snuggled up to him and by doing that made my mistake. When I woke up from a my careless slumber, the sun was getting close to the horizon and the white orbs of Solbrecht's two moons were climbing the sky. The reason why I woke up? My phone was vibrating in my pocket. I was still feeling a little sleep and noticed I had rolled with my head off of his chest and more toward his softer belly. Suddenly I snapped back in focus, realizing that the sun and the moons were standing in a whole different location than where I remembered them earlier. How long ago was that? Arzu who was still dreaming judging by the movements of his tail and pulling lightly with his left leg was snoring softly. If I hadn't had my little panic attack I would've asked him what he was dreaming about but instead I roughly shook him up.

"Arzu, wake up! It's late."

Frantically retrieving my phone, I looked at its display and noticed I was almost certainly going to be late for dinner. There was no way I could make it home in time. On top of that, I noticed three new messages marked with high priority, next to a picture Clara send me from their hangout at our favorite place in town. Ignoring that last one, I tapped the first of the messages from my mom and instantly realized I was in trouble. My dad was already home from work and the other two were from him. I didn't even read all of it. The tone of the first sentence was enough. In the meantime Arzu was awake but barely, obviously not realizing the seriousness of _my_ situation. He wouldn't be in trouble. I was a different story. Rubbing his right eye with a fist he sat right up and yawned widely, displaying his sharp canines and a long slightly pointy tongue which curled up in the process. As he exhaled sharply after that he shook his head, smacking a little, ears flapping, looking at me as if nothing happened.

"Rachel, what's going on?"

In the meantime I wasn't paying attention to him. I was up on my feet already with a lot of other things on my mind, pulling my shirt over my head, hair getting stuck behind the collar so I pulled it out. I was already in trouble as it was. Then I figured it was perhaps better to let my parents know I was going to be home later than I intended right away. At least they could save dinner for me and eat by themselves. I wouldn't be able to make it in time anyway.

"It's late. I have to get home!" I said quickly, a bit of panic still layered over my voice.

That triggered a response. Grabbing his shirt, he scrambled back on his large feet and pulled it over his head, beak first. Then we both grabbed our bags, not having brought any other stuff with us we hastily left, I with my phone in hand, texting my mom and dad as I tried to watch where I was going at the same time. We still had to walk that small distance back through the forest but Arzu was with me.

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Don't worry about it. I should've paid more attention too. Then to think that I could've used this thing to remember it for us."

I was actually a bit angry with myself. _How could I have been so careless?_ It could've been avoided so easily. We covered the distance toward our side of the ridge pretty quickly. With Arzu following me this time instead of the other way around, I had pocketed my phone and started my descent, careful not to slip on my new sneakers that had regretfully developed a green color on the sides as they were so not made for offering even a bit of grip on this sort of terrain. Arzu had much more luck in that aspect, with his large toes and sharp claws gripping the dirt as if they were made for it (which was more or less true) having no trouble at all. Still, I managed to get down to even ground without sliding and ripping my clothes, or worse, in the process. Without stopping I walked back toward the pavement and by the time I felt hardened steady ground under my feet, Arzu had caught up, walking right next to me at a slight distance. Since I knew where I was I would easily be able to get home without further delays.

"You know, those shoes you humans wear to cover your feet have always seemed really uncomfortable to me."

The remark was delivered so suddenly and unexpectedly the switch in my mind was flicked a couple of seconds later. In my haste to get home, I almost forgot Arzu was still with me. But he lived close by our current location.

"That's because your feet have developed entirely different from ours. I eh." Suddenly I halted. At the next junction, he would logically turn left to follow the route to his house and I would walk straight ahead. This was the moment where our ways parted for today. But I couldn't say goodbye so suddenly. It wouldn't be fair after the wonderful afternoon he had thought out so carefully. So I turned to face him fully and he did the same, looking at me with that sparkle in his eyes. "Arzu, I had a great time back there with you. We should do it again some time."

Absent-mindedly scratching the back of his neck he smiled.

"Thank you for coming with me. I wasn't quite sure if you'd like it. I guess you did."

I grinned.

"You know me, silly," I teased. "I thought it was beautiful. But I really have to go now. Sorry."

He shook his head.

"It's okay. I understand. Your parents are waiting. They may be worried about you." Actually they were worried about something else, as I knew all too well. My parents were not stupid. Since they didn't approve of my relationship with Arzu they probably figured out already who I spent my entire afternoon with. I could sense it after reading their messages. I disliked the tone of them and it was only a premonition of what was about to come. "Shall I walk you home?"

He offered it in such a kind and protective way it was hard to resist. And of course I enjoyed his company. There was a certain risk involved, but that could be avoided.

"Until the end of the street then. I don't think you'd want to meet my parents at this moment."

He nodded understandingly. So as Arzu walked me home he tried to lighten my mood a bit, or at least keep it at a level above depressed, with idle talk. It was such a nice day and I just felt it was going to be ruined tonight. But to keep my mind off things for at least a few minutes longer we talked about school, about the approaching finals later this year (yes we probably should've had our noses stuck in the books so to speak) and the shoes he mentioned earlier. The only thing his kind seemed capable of comfortably wearing around their feet were slippers or sandals and even those were rare. Most Mantrins simply walked barefooted their entire life. Technically, they had no need for footwear.

I was almost about to enter our street when the conversation we were having was disturbed by a noise. It was coming from the direction in which we were heading and steadily becoming louder. It sounded like an aircraft but much bigger and heavier with a powerful drone. It actually made us stop to look around to find the source. And right there in the sky, relatively close to our location with the sun shining on its armored hull a fairly large starship took off toward her next destination, gradually directing her front upwards, four powerful engines pushing her away from the surface, creating a powerful sonic boom as it breached the speed of sound. After that it quickly became smaller, turning into a tiny dot before disappearing from sight completely. Arzu and I looked at each other in awe over what we just saw. He was the first to say something.

"That was a warship of the Imperial Guard. Wonder what they're doing here."

As far as I knew, unless they built one quickly this afternoon, _Myr'uya_ didn't even have a space port and the closest larger city that did have one was more than 100 miles away. Unless they made a stop somewhere else, that ship was pretty far of course. Not that it mattered. I was aware of the existence of the Empire with Sogowa Prime at its center, the other half of Arzu's kind and very different from the Mantrins on Solbrecht actually. They did not meddle in their affairs, leaving Solbrecht for what it was. They were also far more advanced, very well capable of competing with Earth on a technological level. They were explorers, colonists, the great warriors of the universe and much more. It made me wonder if Arzu had ever seen it once. His family always sounded pretty modern to me even though I had never met his parents.

"Have you ever been to Sogowa Prime?"

He nodded, not entirely to my surprise.

"Once. I was with my parents. I'll tell you about that some time. I eh... I don't wanna say goodbye but I think you should go."

He was right! Due to the appearance of that ship I almost totally forgot I was heading home, trying not to make things worse than they already were.

"You're right!" I groaned, taking a breath. Without checking if people were looking at us, I wrapped my arms around his waist for one more time, hugging him firmly. I didn't want to let go, especially when I felt his large arms being wrapped around me in a protective way, his legs moving closer to me. As he nuzzled my cheek I could feel he was trying to kiss me, which didn't fully succeed but he tried his best. Just the gesture was more than enough for me. As I let go, I placed a soft but quick kiss on the side of his beak, parting from him with a last loving touch of my hand to the other side. "I'll see you again tomorrow at school. Bye Arzu. Have a nice meal."

"You too."

He briefly waved by holding up his hand and as I waved back, leaving him standing on the sidewalk at the end of the street, I hurried home. Even as I ran past the neighbor's fence and slowed down, he was still standing there in the distance when I looked behind me. So for one last time I answered the hand he raised in the air with one of my own. Then I opened the door of the wooden fence separating our front garden from the sidewalk. One step on the first flat stone forming the path to our front door was enough to hide him from view due to the trees, bushes and other vegetation growing in the well-kept front gardens of our street. We just broke eye contact and I was already looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow. That feeling almost made me forget what I wasn't looking forward too. Almost. Fighting against the unwillingness to face my parents, I retrieved the keycard which opened the electronic lock that kept any intruders out of our house from my shoulder bag and walked the last few steps to the wooden front door. Everyone knew this was our house. The first and last names of my parents and I were engraved into a wooden plaque to the right of the doorframe in both English and the symbolic writing of _Saerinian_. I've always liked that last detail. Their writing is so different from ours. Beautiful if you ask me and not even that hard to learn. Placing the keycard against the scanner, embedded into the wall to the right I listened for the click of the release, which automatically opened the door about two inches, inviting me to come in. So I did, feeling a bit tense but instead of hiding like a coward since they would come and find me anyway, especially my dad, I walked straight ahead through the entry hall into our fairly large living room where my parents were talking, or arguing actually judging by the raised tone of their voices.

"Mom, dad, I'm home. Sorry I'm late."

My father turned around to face me. My mom had seen me coming but he was standing with his back toward the entrance in the middle of the room next to the table between our set of three large couches oriented around the table in a U shape. When Tyru and Hohra visited they always took one entire couch each and left little room for anyone else. We even had to move the table a little farther away to allow them to get comfortable. Hanging on the opposite wall we had our TV, projecting its large display in midair parallel to the wall. It was tuned in on the news but currently muted as my parents were talking. But now that the subject of their conversation arrived, or so I presumed I became the center of the attention.

"Well, it's about time," my dad said harshly, crossing his arms which were fairly muscular.

He was about 6 foot 3, had curly jet black hair, olive tinted skin, dull green eyes and an expression on his face that erased all doubt about his current state of mind.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I was with friends. I forgot about time."

He shook his head before I had finished my sentence.

"Don't you lie to me, young lady. I know where you were. Somewhere you were not so supposed to be, _ever_, _undoubtedly_ with someone you're not supposed to be _with_ either."

My eyes had probably gotten bigger in surprise because there wasn't a hint of doubt in his voice and he gave me such an intense stare that I instantly knew he was aware of the truth. He was way too sure of himself. I was about to demand from him how he knew where I'd been this afternoon. Had he been spying on me? But before my mouth got ahead of me I decided against it, realizing just in time how cheeky that would be. After all, I was the one being questioned here.

"You were with him again, weren't you? And what were you doing in the forest? We told you never to go in there!"

All right, I broke my promise. He was right for being angry at me but he had no right to take it out on Arzu. He asked, I made my choice. So it was all my own fault.

"Dad, I'm sorry. Arzu wanted to show me something. I didn't wanna disappoint him. It was my own choice. He had nothing to do with it."

"You lied! You lied to your mother and to me."

"How did you know I was in the forest?"

He tapped on the right pocket of his pants on the small bulge of his mobile phone.

"These things can be tracked you know. I've been keeping an eye on you. Your mother didn't want me to invade your privacy but I made the right decision after all since it now turns out that I can't trust you."

So now he was, as I began to suspect spying on me. I was outraged! So now his disapproval of the relationship between Arzu and me has resulted in the location of my phone being tracked by my own dad? I considered it downright offensive.

"You have no right to spy on me!" I yelled, losing my temper, stomping my foot on the ground.

I could feel the sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. There were some things in life that angered me fairly quickly and this was definitely one of them.

"Apparently I do since you're still not responsible enough for making the right decisions."

"Such as?"

I knew what he was aiming for. He was just hesitant to say it because even he could undoubtedly feel I had arrived at the point of exploding right now. But instead he evaded the question.

"Rachel Maria Sanchez, don't you raise your voice to me! That's it! From now on I forbid you to see him after school. You're coming straight home every day. If something like this happens one more time, I'm gonna talk to that boy's parents."

"What?!"

"Rachel, try to understand your father. We were worried when we found out where you were hanging out."

My mother was trying to calm down the fight between me and my dad but it was too late for that. It was incredibly unfair. _How could he do that?_ My mom walked around him and tried to step up to me to calm me down but pulled her hand back as she was about to touch my shoulder.

"No! You can't do that!"

"I am still you father, you're 17 years old and obviously I still know what's best for you."

"Why do you hate them?! Why did you even move to this planet? What're we still doing here?"

I was raving and I knew it but I didn't care. He just forbid me to spend time with Arzu again so I had nothing more to lose anyway.

"Oh, now you're just talking nonsense."

"You don't know me! You don't know Arzu. You don't know anything!" Infuriated, I turned around and stomped out of the room and up the stairs to my room. "I hate you!"

"Rachel, you get back here! We're not finished yet. No Laura, I'm gonna teach that girl a lesson about responsibility."

"Kevin, leave her alone. There's nothing you can do. She's in love."

I was in love all right. Madly. With tears in my eyes, I reached the top of the stairs went to my room and slammed the door shut behind me with such force that several objects in the room began to vibrate. Tossing my bag on the soft chair in the corner, I plopped down at the bed, pulled my legs up to my body as I sat upright and fought back the tears. Clenching my teeth together I watched how my knuckles turned white as I balled my hands to fists as I rested them on my thighs. How I wished Arzu could be here with me. Comfort me in his large arms, hugging me against his broad chest, his warm sweet breath as he nuzzled through my hair and in my neck. I rarely cried but I was very close this time. It was so mean. I felt as if the whole world was against me. Against us. Us being together. That feeling just made me intensely sad. I didn't care what my dad just said. Arzu and I were in the same class. We would continue to see each other anyway. But just the fact that even my own parents refused to recognize what I felt for him was the worst. So eventually I cried, only briefly, more like sobbing, furiously wiping any tears that escaped my eyes. I was mad at the same time. Grabbing a tissue I blew my nose afterwards and tossed it into the small bin near my desk close to the window. For a while I just sat, thoughts swirling through my mind. About Arzu, about the wonderful afternoon we had together, and how to continue without the approval of anyone, until someone softly knocked on the door. It was my mom. I knew it before she spoke.

"Rachel?"

"Leave me alone," I murmured, not in the mood for anything at the moment. "But I've saved dinner for you. Can I come in? Please?"

I sighed.

"All right."

Opening the door carefully, as if she were afraid I turned the room into a minefield, my mom entered with a plate of food and utensils in her hands. I didn't want to admit it, but it looked delicious and I was pretty hungry. It was getting late after all. She had a worried expression on her face.

"Can we talk about it?" she asked, as she sat down on the bed next to me, handing me the plate.

I couldn't resist. I wasn't really that mad at her anyways so I grabbed it and dug in immediately. I recognized the dish, one of my favorite, made with a number of different Solbrechtian vegetables. It also happened to be a local delicacy, originally Mantrin in origin and even Hohra complimented my mom after she made this for dinner one time during one of their visits. After having a couple of forks full, my mom waiting patiently in the meantime, I finally answered.

"I'm sorry mom. But I just don't understand. Why can't you accept the fact that I love him?"

My mom sighed after that, brushing through her hair with her hand, a bit absent-mindedly.

"I do understand, sweetheart. He is... he's really kind to you, isn't he?"

I nodded.

"He always wants to protect me. He told me he loves me, this afternoon. Used some kind of expression in his language, something that means eternal love."

She hummed approvingly, a faint smile playing on her lips. One that disappeared shortly thereafter though.

"I talked to your father. He's still having a hard time accepting it, but he wants to protect you too, Rachel."

"Well, he sure has an odd way of showing it," I replied agitatedly as I continued eating.

"It's not that we're not willing to accept. It's them. It's everyone around us. People are talking, Rachel. They say you two don't belong together."

"Oh yeah? Well what does that have to do with it? Arzu and I don't care about our differences. In fact, I love his culture. And I'm pretty sure he likes ours too."

"Are you sure about that? Do you know everything about their culture?"

Actually, she did have point there. Only at this moment I didn't realize that just yet. No, I would find out about that later. I'll tell you more at a later time. Right now I was feeling pretty confident.

"No, but I'm doing my best. So far I like 'em better than some people of my own kind."

Softly squeezing my shoulder, she looked at me, shaking her head.

"Listen Rachel. About the man you love and eventually will marry, I don't care what skin color he has, if he has a tail or if his legs have two or four knees. I just want you to be happy. And if Arzu can make you happy, then I wish you two all the luck in the world. But I've seen evidence that these kinds of relationships can cause a lot of strain. You're gonna have to be prepared for a couple of difficulties. And you're gonna have to face them together."

"I know."

Lightly rubbing my head, my mom waited as I finished my meal, taking the plate off my hands. Right at that moment, my phone rang. I almost forgot about that too! I was supposed to call Clara. Apparently she either couldn't wait or thought I forgot, which I did. Retrieving it, I accepted the video call as my mom quietly left, closing the door behind her, granting me a moment alone. I saw Clara's face clearly on the projection. She was sitting on her bed too.

"Hey, I thought you'd call me? Have you seen the news?"

The tone of her voice was rather serious and since I hadn't seen it I was curious right away.

"No, I... I had an argument with my parents."

"I'm sorry." Clara sighed. "Was it about-"

"Yeah. More or less. But we talked it over," I added quickly. "So what about the news?"

The TV was on, muted when I came home but I hadn't looked at the screen for a second to see what the current topic was about. I was too busy arguing with my dad anyway.

"There have been riots in _Oh'nurhi_. People have been killed. They say the attacks were mostly directed toward humans." That shocked me. Not just for the fact that _Oh'nurhi_ was a city not far from the town where we lived but that last thing. It could only mean that the demonstrators were Mantrins and their anger was directed at the human presence on Solbrecht. "I'm worried about you, Rachel. Your relationship with Arzu can be dangerous to you both. It's not that I don't approve of it. That's what you wanted to talk to me about, right?"

I nodded, reluctantly, but it was true. I just wanted Clara's honest opinion, uninfluenced by Christina or Jaera or anyone else.

"So what do you think?"

"Be happy, Rachel. You're my friend. I can see how happy Arzu makes you. But please be careful. I'm afraid something will happen to you."

"I will. I promise."

Clara smiled, a bit forced perhaps, but she smiled nonetheless.

"I think that's what Christina's afraid of too. She's afraid your relationship with Arzu will cause something similar here to what happened in _Oh'nurhi_."

"I'll be careful," I emphasized.

My mom told me to be prepared. So that's what I did from now on. Together, Arzu and I would be prepared for anything.


	5. A Matter of Choice

**Chapter 5 A Matter of Choice**

* * *

"Arzu? Do you remember our first date?" I just love it when he blushes. He still does it sometimes, such as right now, averting his eyes, smiling. But technically I'm not entirely correct. The definition of dating is engaging in a mutually agreed upon social activity together, with or without, but usually with the added aim of assessing each other's suitability as a partner. Now that might sound like a way too crude and formal way of defining a concept that can be so romantic and intimate but it also means that it was technically not our first date. Arzu knew what I meant though, judging by his behavior at the moment. "Okay, the first time we had dinner together. If you think about it, our first date was your special place."

"Uh-huh. I eh... I wasn't exactly what you'd call eh..."

"A gentleman?" I laughed.

"Yeah."

"Doesn't matter. I had fun. In fact, I don't think I've ever had so much fun before."

Just so you know, that day actually ended better than expected after all. It took me some time to scramble enough courage and will together but later that evening I apologized to my father and we had a long talk. Something changed that day. At least he gave me the feeling he was trying to understand me and I had never felt that up to that moment. So I was glad I did it. But he too, just like my mom warned me for the difficulties a relationship like this might bring along with it. So he no longer disallowed me to see Arzu. He just told me to be careful and he also told me to talk about it with him, which I did. Now back to that date, or dinner or whatever you wanna call it. That was a couple of days later. It was also the first time I introduced Arzu to my parents as I felt they finally started to open up and adjust to the idea that they might have a Mantrin as their son-in-law in the near future.

"Now, I'm not sure who asked who out. I think you asked me." His ear flattened. "Doesn't matter anyway. You came to my house early that evening."

* * *

I couldn't help but be a little excited. It would be the first time we had dinner together and the funny thing was, we didn't even know where. We hadn't decided yet. I guess it was one of those ordinary conversations at school about nice places in town to hangout, eat, socialize and generally enjoy oneself. And I remember how he more or less hinted at having dinner with me one time, so technically what you'd call a date.

"So how about tonight?"

I think that's what I said. I could pick between either that or study and I had been doing the latter for a couple of days straight so I figured it was time for a break. Other than that, I was just in the mood for a good conversation over a nice meal, didn't matter what so that's why we hadn't decided anything. We agreed we would both have something in our mind by the time we would meet. And it was almost that time. I was standing in front of the mirror in the upstairs bathroom, my hair being the only thing I bothered with at this time. I rarely wear makeup and I knew Arzu wouldn't care about it anyway. I was pretty sure he would just want me to be myself. The girls of his species don't wear makeup and if there's one thing I learned from my Mantrin classmates, it's that clothes and accessories don't matter that much to them either. It doesn't mean they don't wear jewelry though. They just don't use it as a way to express their status and it's often very symbolic, having a special meaning, often personal. So I had put in a pair of subtle dangling earrings that my mother gave to me when I just turned 12 years old. They were from Earth, they had belonged to my grandmother who passed them on to her daughter and now I got them from her. I thought they were beautiful with those two intense blue pieces of sapphire. So I used my usual hair clasp to keep my long hair under control and strolled down the stairs with only a few minutes to go. My clothes were nothing that remarkable either. Just a little less casual than I used to wear on the average school day. I didn't want to make Arzu feel uncomfortable by going all dressed up. I was still a little nervous as this was the time for Arzu to meet my parents but realized it had to be worse for him. He was used to the idea that the parents of the girl he loved didn't want him to have a relationship with their daughter. Now things were different but I still figured it would be awkward for him.

"You look wonderful," my mom complimented as she eyed me when I entered the living room.

My dad was hanging on the couch, smiling.

"He's never gonna find another human girl that pretty. He'd better consider himself lucky."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I was hoping he would refrain himself from delivering smart remarks like that with Arzu around.

"Dad, Arzu loves me for who I am. He doesn't care about what I wear."

He shrugged, getting up from the couch, pulling his shirt down.

"I'm sure he thinks you're pretty."

I didn't reply. In fact I didn't really know what to say either. I just hoped he wouldn't ask questions that would embarrass us both. Parents can be so like that sometimes. We didn't have time to continue our conversation either because it was interrupted by the ring of the front door bell.

"That's him!" I said excitedly, quickly making my way to the entrance hall. Putting my hand on the front door handle, waiting for a second or two to open, I prepared myself mentally for what was about to come. As I pushed it down and opened the door without letting go of the handle I was speechless when our eyes made contact. But it was his appearance that amazed me the most. He had either got together the best clothes he had or bought new ones for this occasion. I made a mental note to find out about that somehow. So he wore long black trousers to down his lower set of knees, put on a clean white T-shirt and over that a formal piece of clothing worn only by Mantrin males. It looked most like a crisp white long button-less dress shirt with long sleeves, a low stiff collar and with no way to close the front it partially exposed a line of the wearer's chest and belly, or in his case the shirt he wore underneath. The bottom edge was draped over his thighs. I thought it looked very formal and the combination instantly made me think of him as a true gentleman. I almost felt underdressed myself. Who could've imagined that? "Arzu... I don't know what to say."

He smiled in a pleased manner, his large ears twitching.

"I- I eh... Thank you. You look really good yourself."

I smiled back, appreciating what he did to make the upcoming evening just a tad more special in his own subtle way. I had never seen Arzu wear such clothing before. He always went to school dressed in a way he felt most comfortable. I sure hope he wasn't doing this against his will just to please me.

"Well, would you like to come in for a moment? My parents are actually kinda eager to finally meet you."

"Sure," he said with a slight nod.

As I stepped aside to let him in, bowing his head a little to avoid chafing his ears or bumping it against the top of the door frame, I noticed his tail was wriggling nervously. Fortunately our entry hall wasn't that narrow and the ceiling was tall enough to accommodate his species so apart from the door openings it wasn't uncomfortable for him to move around. Still, I went ahead of him to the living room where my parents were eagerly and curiously waiting for us.

"Mom, dad, I would like you to finally meet Arzu."

"Pleased to meet you."

It rolled out very carefully, slightly timid. Stepping aside just a little to let him assume a comfortable position, his long tail resting on the stone floor, tapping lightly, I watched my parents lay their eyes on him. Fortunately my mom decided to cut through the short silence that followed by standing up, giving him a warm smile. Of course my parents and I were small compared to him so she stood at a slight distance.

"We're glad to finally meet you too. Rachel told us a lot about you. Nothing but good things actually and it's nice to finally see the face behind the stories."

I could definitely see that my mom's hearty greeting made him feel welcome and a little less nervous. The tapping of his tail stopped too. My dad decided to join in with a somewhat jovial greeting.

"Good to meet you as well, Arzu."

At that moment I breathed a mental sigh of relief. Even if there had been a bit of tension at first, it was gone now. Although Mantrins don't shake hands as part of their greeting, he still took my father's hand when it was offered as a sign of politeness. As our cultures blended it wasn't that uncommon anymore.

"You look really handsome," my mom complimented.

I wasn't sure if my mom meant his clothes or his general appearance, I suspected the first but Arzu merely thanked her and smiled.

"I think you two should just go and have fun," my dad said, looking at me. "We'll sit down and have a good chat some other time."

"Thanks dad. See ya later. C'mon Arzu."

On my way out I passed between my dad and Arzu, turning around just before leaving the room to watch him say goodbye to my parents before coming with me. My mom smiled at me and at Arzu's back as he followed me. Even my dad had a pleased expression on his face. They seemed somewhat impressed. Just as impressed as I was by Arzu's looks.

"You know the time, Rachel. Don't stay out too late."

"I won't, dad. Promise!" So out we went and as I stepped into the warm rays of the late afternoon sun, noticing the sweet scent of flowers as I was fanned by the breeze that was too subtle to play with my hair. It wasn't as humid though fortunately, so I wouldn't have to be afraid that my clothes would start sticking to my body. The temperature was pleasant too and we wouldn't have to be afraid of a chilly evening for sure. In fact in this region, chilliness was a rarity among with cold in general. Turning around I walked backwards toward the wooden fence on my comfy shoes, hearing the soft click as Arzu closed our front door behind him. I smiled when I made eye contact and held open the door of the fence to let him pass. I laughed. "I think my parents like you."

He turned to face me and smiled back shyly.

"They were really kind to me. To be honest I was nervous but your mom and dad made me feel welcome."

I thought it was funny. Mantrins were not easily afraid of anything but Arzu's gentle personality also made him inherently shy and that affected his fearlessness. To be honest, frankly and bluntly said, I figured Arzu was still more than capable of beating my dad to a pulp with a single fist. Only, he would never do that. Sometimes I think Arzu is incapable of willingly harming others. I started walking toward the center of town at a leisurely pace, wondering if his idea and mine about the place where we were going to and if they would match. I was really in the mood for some good Mantrin food and I would love spending the evening in one of their restaurants.

"So, have you thought of some place to eat?" I asked as he walked next to me, matching my pace, gracefully controlling his movements, his walk having that tiny hop.

"Ehm, I'm not sure if you'd like it, but I'm eager to visit one of your restaurants. I haven't really had the chance to try. I usually don't go out to eat." I was a little slow to respond because I'd already set my heart on eating food prepared by his kind. He noticed so his ears lowered. "What's the matter? If you don't like it, we can always do what you have in mind."

I hadn't even responded but it was as if he could read my mind. I really didn't want to force my decision upon him.

"No, no, it's fine. Actually, to be honest, I wanted to eat at one of your restaurants but that's okay."

"Well, if you really want we can-"

"Arzu." I halted, so he stopped too and I smiled while shaking my head. It was as if he couldn't bring himself to do anything that might disappoint me. But it didn't matter to me. We wanted to eat together. That was more important than the contents of our plates. "It's just a matter of choice. If you've never eaten good human food, I know a good place. We can just save my idea for the next time."

I noticed how his ears moved back into a happy position and how his tail moved in a satisfied way, very calmly whipping left and right.

"Sure. What's it called?"

I started walking again. It wasn't that far from here and it was arguably the best place in town for Earth cuisine, not that expensive (we were high school students with a part-time job after all) and quite popular among people of every culture on Solbrecht.

"It's called 'Down to Earth'. Not sure if you know it but the food is really good. It's kind of a buffet restaurant but they have an all-you-can-eat policy and they have dishes from all the parts of my world. I'm actually pretty sure you'll love it."

* * *

Not long thereafter I was standing together with Arzu in front of the restaurant. I liked the pleasant liveliness of the center of our town with its restaurants from a number of different cultures and worlds and its shops that sold anything from simple groceries to home decoration. We even had something that resembled a supermarket, it too selling products originating from the worlds of the different major and minor cultures on Solbrecht. The planet's capital city of _Zechaat_ as well as several other cities featured the large centers of import and export from and to other worlds and even we in our town reaped the fruits from the very important galactic trading business of which Solbrecht is an import link in the chain. It was what made it possible for restaurants like 'Down to Earth' to serve real, traditionally prepared Earth dishes with ingredients imported from Earth at fair and reasonable prices.

"Shall we?"

"Sure."

The moment we stepped through the automatic doors we were immediately overwhelmed by the wonderful mix of smells of famous dishes from many Earth cultures. I'd been here before a couple of times and knew what to expect but Arzu obviously didn't. With his nose in the air, sniffing audibly, exhaling through his mouth he tried to make sense of the miasma of alien food smells that washed over him. But it wasn't just the smell of food. It was the entire interior design with its different seating areas decorated in the style of a large variety of Earth cultures, namely Asian, Western, Italian, African and others. The place was fairly large and pleasantly lit with lamps in styles depending on the area in which they were placed. It was kind of busy at the moment we arrived but there were still more than enough tables available. With Arzu close behind me, laying his eyes on everything around him, absorbing the atmosphere, I stepped toward the small wooden counter. Behind it, an Asian lady with a round face, black shoulder-length hair and twinkling eyes, smiled heartily at us, making a slight bow. Arzu was feeling excited. I could hear his tail tapping on the hard wooden floor.

"Good evening. How are you?" she asked with a sugar-coated voice, showing a lot of pearly white teeth.

"Hi. We'd like a table for two, please."

"Do you have a reservation?"

"No."

"High or low table?"

During that question she looked up at Arzu, who wasn't really paying attention to her and more to everything else around him. The question was important though. This was a restaurant on Solbrecht so they had seating areas designed specifically to accommodate Mantrins. Their large legs made it hard for them to share regular tables with others, so the restaurant had a number of lower tables with large soft floor pillows around them, allowing them to sit cross-legged and fit their legs underneath. It was much more comfortable and it was a common table arrangement in Mantrin homes. I didn't mind. I wanted Arzu to get comfortable as well, so my decision was simple.

"Low table, please." Making a few quick taps on a computer terminal, she gestured us to follow her to a special seating area. Although this was an Earth restaurant, many of the customers weren't even human. I had already seen two Akrennian families, a Solbrechtian couple and a few other members of Solbrecht's minor species. In the low seating area to where we followed the receptionist, quite a few tables were occupied by couples, families and one or two lonely individuals enjoying their meals, all Mantrins of course. The woman pointed us to a table for two, close to the window overlooking the street, separated from the neighboring ones by planter boxes, granting each table their privacy during the meal. A number of people looked up as we passed but didn't pay any further attention to us as we sat down. A human waitress quickly arrived to relieve the receptionist who wished us a pleasant evening and a nice dinner. The waitress eyed both of us for a second but didn't ask any questions. Instead, she politely asked us how we were doing and explained to us the concept. She would check up on us regularly and ask us if we needed anything, including our drinks and in the meantime we were allowed to walk past the enormous buffer counter in the middle of the restaurant as often as we wanted, to fill our plates with anything we'd like. So when we ordered our drinks and waited for our waitress to return with them, Arzu and I got our conversation started. "So, what do you think?" I asked, unable to keep myself from smiling.

The large pillow was very comfortable and I was still able to easily reach the table. It seemed like the perfect compromise for the both of us.

"It looks really nice," Arzu answered, placing his hands on the table in front of him, his right ear swiveling in the direction of the noises at the buffet counter.

It was then that I noticed a very soft Asian background music playing through speakers hidden between the plants in the box behind me. I laughed.

"You're salivating."

"Sorry," he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "All these smells are so overwhelming. And I'm kinda hungry."

"Arzu, if you keep using your sleeve as a napkin, your shirt's gonna get stained. Use your real napkin."

"Okay," he said sheepishly, grabbing the large soft folded napkin next to his plate, studying it without actually putting it to use.

The waitress returned fairly quickly, wishing us a pleasant evening and leaving us alone.

"Shall we?"

I didn't have to tell him that twice. When we arrived at the buffet counter, Arzu made sure he stayed close to me but without hesitation he started loading his plate with all kinds of things that really didn't fit together but doing his best to keep them all separate. I wasn't sure what to think of it but didn't say anything. Instead, I pointed out all the highlights to him I remembered from earlier visits. Soon his plate was full so we walked back to the table, evading other customers and their kids on the way. Wishing each other a nice meal we started eating. I had picked grilled tiger prawns, seasoned fries and a fresh salad to go with it. So I grabbed my set of utensils and carefully cut my food into pieces before putting them in my mouth. I had only swallowed my first mouthful when I heard loud smacking at the other end of the table. When he noticed I looked at him, he stopped chewing, one ear flattening. Still he didn't seem to realize he was doing something wrong.

"Arzu, what're you doing?" I whispered, afraid we already had the eyes of the entire restaurant locked on us.

"Am... am I not supposed to eat it like this?" he asked with his mouth full of spaghetti, the strings hanging out of his beak.

"No, you're supposed to stick your fork in and turn so it will wrap around it."

Instead of that, he was simply holding his beak close to his plate and shoving it inside with the fork. Next to the spaghetti, he had chicken wings, fries, French bread, and a load of different vegetables all forming one big pile. And judging by the rate he was stuffing it inside his mouth one plate wouldn't be enough for sure. Chewing a few more times he swallowed and licked the edges of his beak.

"Sorry, I'm hungry. I'm not really used to these things." He waved with his fork and briefly touched the knife which laid unused next to his plate. "It's real good though. What's this called?"

"Spaghetti," I said with a frown. "You can find the names of the dishes on the little signs next to them." I couldn't help but laugh eventually though. At this moment he behaved like a big child. I should've known if he never ate in an Earth restaurant. When Mantrins prepared food they make sure to create pieces or portions that allow for easy eating using just the hands. They normally don't use utensils like we do. And of course, I wouldn't advice him to eat spaghetti with his hands, unless I'd want him to make a complete mess of himself. "And slow down. It's all yours. Nobody's gonna take that from you. And I wanna talk to you too." He nodded, trying to use the fork as I explained it to him, struggling a little. "If you find it hard you can always go get a spoon." But he succeeded after trying for a few times although he still gave me an awkward look as he chewed. However this finally gave me the chance to continue our conversation while we ate. "I know. You were supposed to tell me about your visit to Sogowa Prime. What was it like?"

Swallowing the contents of his mouth, taking a big gulp from his glass of mineral water, he nodded.

"I have family living there. It's really beautiful. It looks very much like Solbrecht. The climate is almost the same as in this region." I did learn a couple of things about Sogowa in culture class. It was the center of the Mantrin Empire, led by the Emperor. The Imperial palace was located in the planet's capital city of _Ta'keth_, an ancient building and the largest and most majestic structure in the entire city. It was exactly the city where Arzu had been during his visit as he had an aunt and uncle living there with two cousins or so he told. "It's wonderful. One day I'll take you with me and show it to you. You'll love it."

Without hesitation I agreed. I had only seen a couple of pictures but I would love to see it someday.

"But what about other species? Are there any humans living there?"

Sticking a couple of fries in his beak he chewed and swallowed them before replying.

"They have very few colonists. It's not that they're not tolerated. It's just that Sogowa isn't as multicultural as Solbrecht. Everything is adapted to members of my species without taking others into account." That didn't really surprise me. After all, in contrast to Solbrecht it was entirely their planet, the heart of their Empire and its culture was more militarized. It's what Arzu told me too. "All the great Houses of Sogowa have members serving in the Imperial Guard. The fleet is of considerable size. We have colonies on several other worlds. We have outposts and space stations all around the quadrant. But here on Solbrecht, my people are so conservative." He absent-mindedly moved what was left of his first portion of food around on his plate with his fork. "They don't even bother with us." I didn't know what to say. There was little I _could_ say. It's just the way things are so that's what I told him. "I guess. But I sure don't mind your people being here. You helped us develop our technology again. Make our lives easier. And otherwise, I never would've met you."

I loved the way he said that, giving me the feeling he truly cared about our relationship, about me. I wasn't just some girl to him. Someone who just happened to come along. He wanted to spend time with me, show me the things he considered beautiful. I think at that moment Arzu was more or less ready to spend the rest of his life with me. And I was pretty sure there's nothing I wanted more than share it with him. So I smiled, feeling my cheeks glow for a second as I reached over the table for his hand which required me to lean forward quite a bit, until he grabbed my hand with his.

"_Nyemahja Ishvé."_

I watched his eyes sparkle when I said that, being meticulously careful about the way I pronounced it, pretty sure it was correct. He was all speechless for a second.

"You memorized it," he said, his voice close to a whisper.

I smiled and stood up, letting go of his hand. He looked up to me, his eyes two gleaming pools of amber, mesmerized by my unexpected use of the saying. As I passed him, I bowed down to place a soft kiss on his head between his ears.

"C'mon. Are you ready for round two?"

With a toothy smile he nodded, unfolding his legs from under the table, his height surpassing mine as he got up from the pillow.

"You bet. Not sure what to pick next. There're so many things to choose from."

I laughed as I walked ahead of him.

"It's just a matter of choice, Arzu. Take less of everything this time and make sure you leave some room for dessert. You don't wanna miss out on that."

I had a wonderful time that evening. We laughed, we ate, we laughed some more. I had a lot of fun watching Arzu try different foods and though he liked the taste of many things on the menu, he wasn't quite sure he liked everything. He especially had to get used to some of the hot and spicy things from some of our Asian cultures. The first time he got one of those hot chili peppers was a big one too. You should've seen the look on his face. The tears jumped to his eyes and he thought his mouth was on fire. Dessert was an amazing experience for him too, with all the fresh fruit, ice cream, pie and other kinds of sweet and sugary things. Kids loved it, Arzu loved it more. He ate so much at one point I thought he was going to explode. After leaving a generous tip for our waitress who made sure our evening was perfect and leaving the restaurant he didn't walk me home, he waddled. But we made it back to my house without him handing over the contents of his stomach to the sidewalk. The evening was a bit muggy but the air was fresh and the pale light of Solbrecht's two moons made the streetlights mostly redundant and they were dimmed to low levels. At this hour there weren't that many people on the street anymore. He walked with me entirely until we were standing on the path leading to the front door where I turned around to face him. I'm sure his size has something to do with it, but I feel so safe with him around. He is protective too and other than that he is just sweet. At the moment I just felt the sudden and overwhelming need for a hug, so I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around him, placing my head on his chest, a bit rough perhaps as I could feel how his chest vibrated when he groaned.

"R-Rachel. M-My stomach hurts a little. I think I ate too much."

I laughed.

"You _think_?" Obviously causing him slight discomfort, I let go and looked up in his eyes. "You did eat too much," I said, playfully tapping that soft spot between his nostrils. He grinned. In a different light I probably could've seen his cheeks and ears turn red but fortunately for him, the light of the moons did a good job at concealing this. But I took his hands in mine, or actually I took a couple of fingers and held on, swinging our arms lightly. "I had a wonderful evening, Arzu. I really enjoyed it."

Hanging his ears in shame, he turned his face down.

"Sorry if you think I wasn't exactly an example of good table manners."

"No, no, you didn't know what to do. This was your first time. I thought it was funny. And a little cute too." I added the last part quickly and that seemed to do the trick. He smiled again. "And I'm also glad you didn't buy those clothes especially for me."

Turned out he only wore these clothes on very special occasions when it was required. And he considered this occasion special enough so it still did have a little to do with me, but in a way that didn't make me feel guilty. He merely purred softly. I know what he wanted so I gave it to him, placing a soft kiss between his nostrils. He did have a bit of garlic breath at the moment but I probably had that too so I didn't mind. Instead of a kiss, I received a tiny, almost dry lick on my cheek in return. He smiled afterwards. I smiled back.

"Good night, Arzu. Sleep well."

Touching my cheek with his large warm hand as goodbye he wished me good night in his own language. As I watched him leave, his tail having a happy lash, I could feel myself getting that warm and fuzzy feeling back. It was an evening I would not so easily forget.

11


	6. Cultural Differences

**Chapter 6 Cultural Differences**

* * *

"It was absolutely perfect. And it was also the first time you met my parents." He remembers it too. I can almost hear him think back about that same evening. Curling his toes, digging his claws into the soft soil, tail calmly whipping left and right. We had a really good time together. Nobody bothered us. The food was good. We had lots and lots to talk about. I think that for a moment I felt my life was complete. Now he's grinning. I don't trust it. Something's amusing him and it can't be me at the moment. "What're you laughing at?"

I can feel a smile playing on my own lips too. Can't help it. It's just the look in those sweet eyes.

"Nothing. I just remember the day you met _my_ parents. I think you were scared."

"I was not!" I replied quasi-indignantly. "It was unexpected. I was nervous. And either your kind is big or we're small. I felt intimidated."

You guessed it, Arzu had already met my parents and it still had to happen the other way around. It wasn't what you would call a planned procedure. It was on the day his parents were supposedly out of town till the evening and he had grabbed this opportunity to take me home. It was on the last day of school before what you could call the weekend, although Solbrecht's time measurement system is entirely different from Earth's. I won't bore you with the details. It's too complicated anyway. It had been a long week, or at least I remember it felt that way. With the finals closing in fast we were still studying hard. But during the last hour, he was texting me again. No secretive stuff this time. Just straightforward. He wanted me to come home with him, because he wanted to talk to me in private. Since I had never been to his house before this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

* * *

With the bell still ringing in my ears I left the classroom in the middle of the bunch of people of all sorts, shapes and sizes which were my classmates. With many of them being Mantrins you had to be careful. As a relatively small human being you don't want to get stuck in a crowd of them. I could already feel a powerful tail slapping my leg and someone grumbling 'sorry' over his shoulder a moment later but I had forgotten about it already. Arzu had made his way outside and was waiting for me. The corridor filled up with people exiting the neighboring classrooms pretty fast. Fortunately I already got all my stuff so I didn't need to be in my locker, which would be impossible at the moment so instead I made my way in the other direction to the entrance. Shortly thereafter, Arzu joined me on the right and Clara with little difference in time on the left. She sighed.

"God, I thought it was never gonna end. Glad we got a few days off."

"You could say that. I've had it for today."

These last classes were boring. It was all one big repetition. Reaching behind me on my head, I took the clasp out of my hair and put it in my bag, letting it run freely down my back. I felt released too as we left the school and stepped into Solbrecht's hot afternoon sun. I felt like colliding with a wall of heat but for some reason it still felt better than being enclosed by a classroom, even though it had air-conditioning. I heard Arzu taking a deep breath through his nostrils, exhaling powerfully the same way. He probably felt just as locked up as we did, only he didn't say anything about it.

"Hey, you guys doin' anything tonight?" Clara asked.

I looked at her and noticed Arzu did too, flicking an ear. I was glad Clara and I talked about our relationship earlier. As least she wasn't treating us like some abnormality anymore but as friends and classmates instead. She finally understood us just like my parents did.

"Eh, no," Arzu replied, scratching behind his right ear. "Rachel and I are just gonna drop by my house for a while but if you wanna do something tonight, it's fine with me. If you think that's okay, Rachel?"

I shrugged. I was in the mood for something fun. Didn't matter what. And maybe the three of us could do something together. It didn't sound bad at all to me.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

She halted just as we were about leave the school grounds and our ways would logically separate.

"We could eat something together. Play a couple of holo-games at the _Gamestation_."

Now that sounded like some casual fun to me. It was the awesome holo-gaming hall in town. I used to hang out there a lot when I was younger but it was still a cool place and definitely not restricted to youngsters only. In fact, some games were restricted to ages above ours and not for the faint-hearted. On top of that, there was a restaurant above the game hall too. Nothing fancy but the fast food ranged from a good old cheeseburger with fries to the more exotic snacks from worlds such as Akrennia, Indar Prime and of course Solbrecht itself.

"Sounds like a plan," I said, the smile on my face widening together with Clara's and Arzu's.

I was already looking forward to it.

"Okay. Just text me when you guys feel ready. We'll meet at the _Gamestation_." I nodded and Arzu did too. "See ya."

Waving us off with one hand she left, leaving us standing on the sidewalk near the entrance. Students and teachers swarmed around us as we stood more or less in the middle and in the way. Moving out of the crowd we were just about to walk to his house when we heard a familiar voice, to our annoyance of course. It was Christina, together with Scott and Jaera. They always hung out together. I was glad Denise wasn't with them this time. Still, that didn't mean I was in the mood for Christina's snappy remarks. Like the one that left her mouth the moment she saw us.

"Oh look, it's our Romeo and Juliet. Let me guess, you guys are up to something, right? You're really gonna do it this time?"

I immediately felt a stab of anger, turning to face the owner of the voice with a fierce tug. A second later I felt Arzu's hand on my shoulder, the slight squeeze he gave me telling me to calm down but I couldn't. She had no right.

"Oh, why don't you just shut up?"

Arzu didn't say anything, just remained calm. I could hear his tail hitting the pavement though but it wasn't aggressive. I was about to ignore her and walk away, pretending I heard nothing but she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Don't you think this joke's getting old now, Rachel? I think it's time for you guys to find someone of your own kind."

I was about to fling something nasty to her head but instead the unexpected happened. Arzu went ahead of me, turning about a quarter to look at her directly. She and her friends were only standing about three meters away from him but because of his size, the distance seemed much smaller. Still, Arzu remained calm and controlled, tail resting on the pavement that had been warmed by the sun, arms hanging loosely.

"Why do you keep saying things like that? Our relationship will hurt no one. Not even you."

Christina sighed exaggeratedly, pulling her long straight blonde hair out of her face, looking slightly over her expensive sunglasses.

"All right. Listen big guy. I have nothing against your people. This is your planet. We only moved here when ours became overpopulated. However, not everyone of your kind welcomes our presence here. I don't know if you've been following the news lately but what you two have been doing up till know will only bring down the anger of the conservatives upon us. In other words, sooner or later, it _will_ hurt. And it will hurt _badly_. You, me, everyone."

I watched as Arzu's ears sagged. Her sharp words were hurting his feelings. It wasn't fair. As far as I knew, there were no conservative groups in our town.

"Just leave us alone, Christina," I cut through the silence that followed, rescuing Arzu out of a situation he didn't seem to know how to handle.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm but let go as I couldn't get him to move with my own strength anyway. Making a mocking sound she watched us leave when Arzu finally moved.

"Well, don't tell me I didn't warn ya!"

Not saying anything we walked away, hearing her talk to her friends about only wanting to do the right thing. _Ridiculous_. Just because she couldn't grasp the concept of a relationship between two people of different species doesn't mean we're not allowed to. At least that was my opinion. And Arzu's too, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen me. We would perhaps just be friends, nothing more. We had almost reached the end of the street and when I finally though we got rid of the unfriendly remarks of disapproval, I was proved wrong. Four Mantrins, all around our age and from our school with their bags over their shoulders had noticed us and waited for us to come near. I couldn't hear what they were saying as they spoke in their own language but they stopped talking when we approached them, merely glaring down upon me. Two of them were Sogowans, one of them bigger and more muscular. One of the other guys was a tall somewhat chubby Goureg and the last one a smaller striped Orketh, all boys. They threw us mocking looks and I noticed Arzu began to walk slower. Still we had to pass them if we wanted to get to Arzu's house. Of course we could cross the street in an attempt to avoid trouble but I wasn't going to be intimidated by these thugs.

"_Well, if it isn't Arzu and his human girlfriend._"

"_I don't understand what he sees in those creatures. Those flat faces. Kinda ugly." _

"_Just wrong man. Look at her. So puny."_

I spoke a few words of _Saerinian_ but I barely understood what they were saying . The tone of their voices however made clear it was about me. I watched the expression on Arzu's face change as the vile words reached his ears, which flattened slightly. Was he angry? If so, he was better than most members of his kind about hiding it. I wasn't though. I was grinding my teeth, restraining myself. I wasn't looking for a fight. They were the wrong type to pick a fight with. They didn't block us as we passed though. Instead they formed two rows and let us pass between them, mocking us.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" the largest Sogowan whooped in somewhat accented English. "Can't handle a few words? What makes you so sure you can handle him?"

They even punched Arzu's shoulder in a mocking way, laughing at him.

"Just shut up and leave us alone!" I yelled back. Arzu said nothing. The group just laughed at us, trying to make us look like fools. Maybe I was making a fool of myself. Maybe I just should've kept my mouth shut. Fortunately they didn't pursue us. I could feel my heart beating even after five minutes of walking, their voices and laughter having died away behind us. I was still mad but I was more concerned about him. He hadn't said anything, was merely taking large firm steps on the road we followed to his house. He wasn't even paying attention to other pedestrians and people had to jump out of his way two times already. "Arzu?" No response. But I had to try. He had to let his feelings out instead of bottling it up. I was angry. He had the right to be angry too. "Arzu," I said more firmly. His ear flicked and he stopped walking, looking down at me with an expression on his beaked face I couldn't quite categorize. It was a mixture of restrained anger, sadness and something else. Was it regret? "Never mind them. Let them blab all they want. You're much better than them in every way."

For a few seconds he just looked at me. Then he simply lowered himself slightly on his legs and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me, a little firm perhaps but I let him. I had the feeling it would help. I just patted his back. People looked at us but neither of us cared. When he released me, he placed his left hand on my right shoulder and gently caressed my left cheek with his other hand, smiling faintly.

"You're right," he finally said. "Let them talk." I felt relieved when he said that. His anger or whatever it was, was nowhere to be seen. That calming effect he had on me when I was angry seemed to work the other way around too. "Let's go to my house. I wanna show you something."

* * *

Arzu's house was located in a part of town mostly populated by members of his own kind. I noticed that due to several things. The names of the streets were engraved on the signs in _Saerinian_ first with an English translation to follow but just that they were engraved was enough for me to know. And of course there was the style of the houses with their sand-colored stones and tall and wide front doors. All were one-story houses but as they were built to accommodate Mantrins they were still rather tall with their high ceilings and roof. Other than all of that the people on the street were all Mantrins, with a few exceptions including myself. Also noticeable, there were fewer cars or other vehicles in this part of town and we ran into a group of children playing on the street occasionally. It didn't take long before we reached the house we were looking for. It was near the edge of town, close to the forest forming its natural border. The house of Arzu's parents wasn't exceptionally big but because his species required more room to comfortably move around, even a standard house looked big to me. The front door had no windows but the amazing carvings that had been crafted meticulously into the wooden surface formed patterns that undoubtedly had a meaning. Probably something that was hard to understand or translate but I had seen similar work on other front doors in the district. Still, the house was protected by modern technology as Arzu retrieved a keycard from his bag which opened the door in a similar fashion to the door of my house. Going in ahead of me, he stepped to the side, placing one hand on the edge of the door. He smiled.

"Come in."

"Thanks." It was slightly overwhelming. I had been in a Mantrin home before, namely the house of Tyru and Hohra, but every time it was so radically different that all my senses were surprised again and again. They were Gouregs, Arzu's family was from the Sogowan race, which meant a fairly significant difference in culture and customs. The first thing I noticed was the natural smell of the atmosphere, a little wood-like, mixed with something sweet. Flowers perhaps? And there was something else, a bit like incense sticks or something similar native to Solbrecht. Anyway, it was pleasant. Room distribution was different from my own house with the large entry hall in which we were standing granting access to a broad wooden staircase leading to the top floor. Straight ahead was the living room. To the right I caught a glimpse of the kitchen. To the left was a downstairs bathroom. The floor was made up of natural stone tiles in a warm sandy brown color. I could hear the claws of Arzu's feet scratching slightly as he moved. Walls were made of stone too and unpainted. Arzu's parents seemed to like decorating their house. When Arzu led me to the living room, I noticed there were lots of plants, some of them fragrant. Where we had our couches and table in our living room, in Arzu's house the couches were replaced by large floor pillows which was fairly standard in their homes as opposed to couches or chairs. But the things that intrigued me the most were the many signs of their culture in the form of objects standing on small wooden cabinets or hanging on the walls. One which caught my eye in particular was a large woven cloth, a bit like a tapestry with one of the most sophisticated ways of their writing painted on it. It was given a place very centrally so it obviously meant a lot to Arzu's family. Arzu could feel my astonishment and had probably seen the expression on my face as I looked around, dazzled by the wonderful things that left me speechless. "Oh my..."

In the corner of the living room, close to the door leading to the backyard, a tall circular harp was resting on a strong wooden stand. I recognized it immediately, had seen several examples, but this one in particular was exceptional, with such fine woodwork and in such a pristine condition it almost blew me away. And I hadn't even heard a single tone.

"It has several names," I heard Arzu's calm voice behind me. I hid my hands behind my back on instinct. I wouldn't be allowed to touch it, let alone play it but it didn't matter. It was a beautiful instrument. "This design in particular is called a _Joyt._"

I knew that. When I finally tore my eyes from the wonderful sight I looked into Arzu's eyes which twinkled in a friendly way.

"Do you play?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Not yet. But my dad told me he'd teach me. When I'm old enough. When I'm allowed to."

Secretly I longed for it but knew and accepted that now wasn't the time. So I changed the subject.

"You wanted to talk to me."

He nodded, gently bringing his hand to my face, caressing my cheek with his fingers.

"Yes. But would you like something first? Something to drink?" Actually I was a bit thirsty so I accepted, following him to the kitchen first. Despite the strong bond to their culture, Arzu's family was pretty modern. I had already seen a holo TV similar to our own. The kitchen had all the modern appliances one would expect and his parents had a car, specifically designed for their kind of course. After a refreshing drink, spring water with a mix of native Solbrecht fruits (very delicious), I followed Arzu upstairs to his room. "Sorry for the mess," he apologized before letting me enter, tossing his bag into a corner of the room.

Indeed things were a bit messy but my own room was like that too sometimes. He slept under the roof but since it was so tall it was still easy for him to move around without hitting his head. A more than adequate amount of natural light was provided by two large rectangular skylights. His bed, which was not only very long but very wide too, giving it an almost square shape when viewed from above, wasn't made up, with the covers simply tossed aside against the wall. He had a closet, a low desk with seating pillow next to it and he even had his own TV. He had a woven cloth hanging on his wall too, similar to the one in the living room but smaller and with less writing on it. Still it was more than enough to be called sophisticated. The only thing that made the room messy were the pieces of clothing, mostly shorts and shirts lying around everywhere, on the bed, on the desk, even on the carpeted floor. It didn't seem to bother him though. Not even when I picked up the shirt I almost stepped on and tossed it on his bed. My eyes had already caught something far more interesting. It was a framed picture, printed, standing on his desk. As I picked it up to look at it, I saw two large Sogowan Mantrins, both smiling at the camera, the Mantrinesse having a boy sitting on the thigh of her left leg. She was holding him with both hands. He was very little, only a few years old perhaps but he was laughing, holding on to his mother's leg, his own legs draped over hers, dangling down. The picture didn't need any explanation.

"Awww," I cooed, looking back at the tall teenage version of the boy in the picture.

He began to develop that red color again. Crossing his massive arms he flared his nostrils and frowned, one ear lowering slightly. Still a faint smile played on the edges of his beak.

"Let me guess, now you wanna see my Mantry pictures too, right?" I laughed and eventually after a short while he laughed with me. I was pulled into a warm hug as I was holding on to the picture. I was already hoping I could get a copy. It was a nice picture. They looked so happy, all three of them. "Well, all right. I'll ask my mom."

"I don't suppose this is what you wanted to talk to me about?"

With his arms still around my back, I looked up at him as he looked down at me.

"No. It's something else. Rachel, I'm gonna let you in a on a little secret. And I wanna ask you something." Letting go of me, he carefully lowered himself to the edge of the bed, his enormous legs forming two large pylons. Still he moved the right one a little and gestured me to come sit next to him. I was curious already so I put the picture back, lowered my shoulder bag to the floor and quickly sat down, resting my arms on his thigh as I leaned closer to him, smiling. He smiled back but the tone of his voice was serious so I listened with all my attention focused on him. "What I'm about to tell you is not really a secret but you have to understand, it's really important to me. It's about my adulthood and what I need to do to earn it."

It was starting to get through to me. I was aware of the significance of passage rites within their culture but this was a bit unexpected. Very often, only family members, which I was obviously not, were allowed to witness and/or take part in these rituals. But instead of asking questions I acknowledged.

"Okay. Go on."

He took a breath before continuing, his eyes staring deeply into mine. Even if I had wanted to look away I probably couldn't have.

"Rachel, I've got my coming of age ceremony coming up. It's less than four days from now and I wanna ask you... to be part of it."

You understand, I was perplexed. He asked me to take part in one of their rituals, an event rarely witnessed by outsiders, let alone humans. I wasn't entirely sure. But I quickly realized the importance of this event to him personally. I just couldn't say no. I had no idea what it would come down to, or what I had to do but I assumed he just wanted me to be there as moral support. It would mostly likely be some kind of test in which he had to prove himself worthy of being called an adult and earn the privileges that came with it, including playing the instrument that captured my gaze downstairs.

"I'll be with you."

As I placed my hand on his shoulder, he gently rubbed his cheek to it, purring lightly. Then he looked at me with those amber-colored eyes.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, flinging his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

Nuzzling with his beak to my cheek he tried kissing me again, brushing his lips to my skin. I kissed him back, on the side of his beak this time. Carefully I caressed the edge of his right ear which felt very soft and delicate. He purred loudly in response, breathing out deeply in a moment of slight arousal, or so I assumed. It wasn't really my intention but I almost forgot about those sensitive spots. However our moment of intimacy was cut short by the sound of the front door unlocking and noises downstairs followed by a powerful voice speaking in _Saerinian_.

"_Arzu, we're back!" _

"_I'm upstairs, in my room. I'm coming down."_

I understood some of it but something else happened to me. I had jumped off the bed as if I had burned my behind. My heart was beating faster and I was suddenly nervous. I hadn't expected to meet his parents yet. I wondered what they would think of me. They had only heard about me from their son. He told me his parents didn't seem to mind but I couldn't be sure. Now they would finally get to see me.

"Y-Your parents?" I stumbled.

He stood up too, calming me down with his soothing voice, placing two hands on my shoulders.

"Don't worry. They won't hurt you. I'm sure they want to get to know you too."

Anxiously I followed him down the stairs, trying to keep my nerves under control and any negative thoughts at a distance. _Did they have something against humans? Would they mind if a human became their son's mate? Did Arzu tell his parents about him meeting mine? Stop it Rachel!_ Still I could feel my legs shaking as my feet hit the last few steps. I heard the voices of his parents coming from the living room. The male voice was very heavy and powerful. Arzu went ahead of me, speaking in English as he greeted his parents. I followed timidly, trying not to betray my presence just yet.

"Mom, dad, I brought someone home with me today."

An awkward silence followed. I was standing behind him in the entry hall, watching his tail sweep the floor with fluid motions. Even behind his back I could see part of the enormous right leg of his father. He was a huge Mantrin. Even from this distance I felt intimidated especially when he replied in his own language, ignoring his son's English.

"_All right. Won't you introduce this person to us?"_

"Sure."

Because I had no idea what he said, I was getting more anxious. It was pretty unnerving to hear him speak in his own language with its occasional expressive grunts. But when Arzu finally walked into the living room, making room for me to enter, there was no going back. Arzu's father was a Sogowan male of considerable size, clearly bigger than average and very muscular. His mother wasn't a small Mantrinesse either. Pictures did well at hiding reality. They didn't appear this big to me on the photo. Their eyes were the common copper variety with his mother's carrying a trace of orange. Arzu's face definitely had the kindness of his mother's. I watched her smile faintly when she saw me. It was just that his father's glare was so intense, so intimidating. I didn't know where to look so I tried to look between them instead of straight at them as I spoke, a little soft and slightly trembling. Trying to keep my voice from doing the latter I introduced myself in _Saerinian_. However I was ignored. Placing his clawed hand on his upper knee, Arzu's dad spoke to his son instead.

"_So this is her. I didn't expect her to be this small."_

Arzu sighed.

"Dad, don't you think it's a bit-"

"Reyzan, you're being rude," his mother said in near accentless English, tossing her mate a warning look. Then she did the unexpected. She gave me her warmest smile, gesturing me to come closer, probably to get a better look at me. "Hello Rachel. Don't pay any attention to him. You're welcome. Let's have a seat. Would you like something?" I thanked her, telling her Arzu had already offered me something. "My name's Niryn. Come sit."

She lowered herself on one of the pillows around the table, followed by her son. As I moved closer to do the same, my way was blocked by Reyzan. However he wasn't being unkind. Instead, he offered me his enormous hand, smiling faintly, showing a few teeth in the process. Arzu got his sharper fangs from his mother though. After some slight hesitation I took it.

"This is part of your species' greeting, right?" he asked unsurely.

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable. My mate is right. Let's have a talk. I'll get us something to drink."

If the imaginary load on my shoulders had truly been there it would've slammed onto the floor with a bang that would've shaken the house. I felt like becoming part of Arzu's family as I lowered myself to a pillow around the table with Arzu and Niryn. She smiled again when we made eye contact, her ear giving a playful twitch. I almost felt like I was home.


	7. The Coming of Age Ceremony

**Chapter 7 The Coming of Age Ceremony**

* * *

"Okay, the start was a bit rough but in the end I really liked your parents. After that talk we had I think they understood you and me better than my own."

Arzu's frowning and his right ear has lowered slightly. I'm not sure if he's agreeing with me on that but I think my parents just started to try and understand me after that argument with my dad and the long talk that followed. I knew Arzu long before that and we had been doing things together for a while. And we had been doing that a bit sneaky too sometimes because my parents, and especially my dad let me know in subtle and less subtle ways that they didn't approve of my relationship with him. But Arzu's parents were different. Their son had made his choice and they hadn't been trying to change his mind about it. They respected his decision but not for a second did they give me the idea it was against their own will.

"But I liked your parents too when I was at your house the second time. They didn't give me the idea they didn't want me to be your mate."

Well that was true. It was a few days earlier and we had a good talk at my house. I really felt my parents did their best to make him feel welcome and accepted. I remember thanking them for it after Arzu left.

"Well I did make them think twice about it. Remember what you told me on that day before I met your parents?" He's looking down at the ground again, ears sagging just enough for me to notice. The expression on his face changed too. "Sorry for bringing that up." I'm trying to sound sincere and I am. Yeah, I know. I have to tell you about that and I'm going to. "Arzu it's fine."

As I touch my hand to his leathery beak, he smiles again. It's hard if not impossible to stay mad at him for long. All right. I think I'm ready to tell you now. It was late in the evening, about four days after the day he told me about it, just as planned.

* * *

I hadn't asked a thing about it and perhaps I should have, only I realized it too late. I had spoken to my parents about it though, made clear to them the importance of this event to Arzu personally. They asked me the same questions I began asking myself as I reached the part of town where he lived.

"Do you know for sure what it means? Do you know what's expected of you? Are you sure you want to do this?"

Yes, I was perhaps only sure about the latter. He had asked me personally at the moment he felt was the right one, for me to be there with him during this rite of passage. Not only due to his words but at the way he asked me, the tone of his voice, I could sense the matter of importance to him. I couldn't refuse. I was determined to support him through this, even if I could only do that by being there with him.

It was evening and it wasn't that late but late enough for the sun to have disappeared to allow the faces of Solbrecht's twin moons to shine in its place. Their light was abundant and allowed me to see without much aid from the streetlights. Of course it wasn't really cold either but the wind was a little stronger than usual on this evening. It had been a little cloudy during the day too and most of it had dissipated by now but I still brought my hoody with zipper with me just to be sure. After getting used to high average temperatures throughout the year, everything below a certain temperature will eventually start to feel chilly. I ran into few people on the way. Most younger children had already been called inside by their parents. In fact, I watched a Mantrin mother, annoyed as she was, dragging her son inside by his ear. He whimpered in her strong grip. It seemed rather painful to me as I remembered how sensitive Arzu's ears were. But she merely growled a few irritated words in _Saerinian_ before slamming the front door shut behind her. I could hear her yelling after I walked past their front garden, only one street away from where I remembered Arzu's house was. On the other side of the street, I watched a large male Mantrin look at me as he walked in opposite direction with his pet _Rohthyr_, a Solbrecht animal bearing a strong resemblance to a dog in many ways. They could be tamed but I had rarely seen humans keep them as pets. In fact, dogs and cats brought from Earth had found their way into the homes of many humans and Mantrins too. Some Mantrins were against the keeping of pets though, for reasons mostly likely tied to their beliefs. Arzu's parents didn't have pets either and I couldn't help but wonder if they were against it too. Not that it mattered to me.

Lights shone through the windows of Arzu's house. However, with the blinds half closed I couldn't see anyone inside. But the lights themselves were a good indication that someone had to be home. I was about to retrieve my phone to see if I was on time but I had to be. I hadn't taken any detours and I left from home early. I didn't want to make a bad impression by being late on something so important. Still, I decided to grab my phone, not to check the time, although I noticed I was still early, but to silence it completely, cancelling out all sounds it could possibly make. It was a coming of age ceremony. It would be a sign of utter disrespect for everything it stood for to bring a noisy piece of technology into it. I wasn't late at all. As I rang the doorbell, I heard heavy footsteps and the slight scratching of claws on stone shortly thereafter. Niryn opened the door for me and smiled, baring her sharp teeth in the process.

"Come in," she said a bit hastily, gesturing with her hand, stepping aside to make room for me to enter.

Again that natural smell of the atmosphere inside the house that overwhelmed me. It was pleasant, welcoming, trusted. Niryn quickly closed the front door behind me and went ahead of me to the living room. She seemed in a hurry, something that began to worry me. I didn't make a mistake in the time, didn't I? I could feel my heart beating faster. I was almost afraid to ask but if I did make a mistake, the least I could do was offer her an apology.

"I... I'm not late, am I?"

She stood by the glass sliding door offering access to the backyard, flicking an ear, biting on the claw of her index finger, clearly pondering about something. She didn't seem dressed in any special way for the occasion. Just a shirt and long trousers to down below her second set of knees which seemed to fit much tighter than what her son used to wear. But then I quickly remembered that her kind didn't care that much for clothing. I also started asking myself where everybody else was. The backyard was dark but fairly large and even with the best will in the world I couldn't see if anyone was there. I also noticed that the _Joyt_, the tall harp-like instrument that had received my utmost admiration from the moment it caught my eye, was gone, with only its wooden stand as partial evidence that it had been standing near the door where Niryn stood. Niryn suddenly looked at me and cracked another smile.

"Of course not, dear. Everyone else has gone ahead of us just to prepare. We must go now. C'mon, follow me." Effortlessly, she pushed the sliding door open to let herself through and gestured me again to follow her. Her kind face and words instantly assured me that everything was all right and I could feel my heartbeat returning to normal levels. I was already tense, can you believe that? But I was also excited. Never had I witnessed anything like this before and I began to wonder how many humans had. As I stepped into the backyard, I saw no one there except for us two. But there was no time to ask, as Niryn closed the door behind me. Still I began to realize where we were going, as I followed her, trying to keep up the best I could with her fast pace and large steps, holding on to my hooded sweatshirt. The ceremony wasn't going to be held at Arzu's house or anywhere near. She was taking me to the forest of which the border was close to their house, in the darkness of the night, with only the light of the moons to guide us. She didn't even seem to have brought any sort of light with her. This only urged me to keep up and stay close to her even more. I was able to differentiate her long swishing tail so I used that as guidance. The backyard didn't even have a fence. It fluently went over into a ribbon of grass that separated the tree line from the houses. We crossed that patch quickly until we reached a natural path between the trees and started to climb the hill. Fortunately it wasn't as steep as the way leading up to Arzu's spot. It also cancelled out the possibility of that being the place where we were going. "Are you all right?" Niryn asked. Her powerful legs allowed her to climb with relative ease. I nodded, only to realize she probably couldn't see me so I confirmed audibly shortly after that. "It's not far. We're almost there already."

At least she didn't go fast. I was able to keep up with her without much effort but I was still glad when we made it to the top. From there, I could already see something. A flickering glow trying to find its way between the trees. Arzu's mother stood close to me. I could hear her calm but powerful breathing, her strong feet snapping a series of branches as she took a step closer to me. It was a little chilly here in the forest, so I decided to put on my sweatshirt, zipping up about halfway and pulling my hair out, letting it run freely.

"We're there," she said, her voice temporarily disturbing the nightly orchestra of the forest. It sounded much louder in the relative quietness and darkness that surrounded us. Still, I was able to see her vibrantly colored eyes in what little light was provided to us by the moons and the light ahead which we began to approach together. I could feel the gentle push of her large hand on my back as we walked toward it. The light was becoming more powerful. I could make out the details around us, twigs, branches, bushes, the bark of the trees themselves better and better. I could hear voices and they became louder and I could distinguish between individual words. At this point I could see the differently colored spots in Niryn's neck as I looked up at her. She didn't look back. Her stare was directed ahead of us. Next to the voices of people I could hear something else. It was the powerful drone of the _Joyt_, unique, magical, almost haunting as far as the sound carried. At the moment I could distinguish the figures of individual Mantrins between the trees we had already reached the fairly large open spot. And I had no words for what I saw. It was mesmerizing, the way this scene captured me. My heart was already beating faster again. I have no words to describe this. In the relative middle of the irregularly shaped clearing, a group of Mantrins which were undoubtedly members of the family had formed a circle, all ten of them, with near perfect equal distances of around two meters between each individual. There was an opening in the circle though, with room for two more spots which would bring the total up to twelve when we joined, which was exactly what was going to happen. Each spot was marked. A fairly long wooden stick, placed vertically on the grass before each member of the group. In the middle of this circle stood Arzu, in a way I had never seen him before. He was nude but he was standing with his left side toward me. I gasped slightly when I saw him. I saw how he looked at me with one eye but didn't say anything, nor did he acknowledge his awareness of my presence any other way. Arzu's father was the one playing the _Joyt_, resting the tall and heavy instrument against his chest, plucking the strings with the clawed fingers of both hands. Light was provided by four tall torches with a large flame on top. I could feel their warmth on my face as Niryn and I neared our spots close to one, which was the moment Reyzan stopped playing. Niryn spoke a few words in her own language, quite possibly a greeting of some kind but nothing standard as I didn't understand a single word. However she bowed her head slightly as she did and so did I when I noticed. As the group greeted us back they bowed their heads too. "Stay in the circle," Niryn whispered softly in my ear, before taking her place.

I did so too. I had no idea what was going to happen nor what they expected me to do. A somewhat eerie silence fell over the group. All of them were looking down at the elongated piece of wood pointing between their feet and toward Arzu standing motionless in the center of the circle. Nobody looked at me in a strange way. I was treated as a complete equal or so I felt. The silence lasted longer than I expected. In the meantime I studied the stick which turned out to be a staff of some kind. One end was circular, most likely the hilt, the point at which it was supposedly held in the hand. There was a smooth transition at about one third of the total length from this part to the other which was flat and appeared flexible. Over its entire length the staff was engraved with symbols and carvings. _What is this?_ I had almost asked the question out loud but realized just in time we were in the middle of a moment of silence with only the sounds of the forest around us. I had only taken a quick look at the Mantrins in the circle. Most of them were Sogowans of varying age but I thought I had seen a Goureg and a crossbreed too. I knew a little about the races and it wasn't hard to distinguish between them but I couldn't be too sure though. The light of the torches and the moons twisted the colors too much. I felt a slight relief when I heard the powerful vibrating drone of the _Joyt_ again. Just a single tone before someone spoke. Of course, I had trouble understanding what was said but when I looked up I noticed an old Mantrinesse was speaking.

"_Arzu, son of Reyzan. You stand here before us to prove yourself worthy of being an adult and not only be granted the privileges of adulthood but to carry the responsibilities as well. I will ask you on behalf of all who have gathered here around you. Do you deem yourself worthy?"_

Arzu, who faced her directly, straightened his back, tail tapping the grass lightly.

"_I do!"_

That I understood. He had spoken the words firmly and with determination. I had never seen him so confident before. It made me feel proud of him. The old Mantrinesse who could very well be his grandmother nodded in affirmation.

"_Good. All right."_ Her voice was calm, a bit raspy, but still strong and with a warm undertone. _"Let us begin." _

_Begin with what?_ I asked myself the question. I knew a few things about Mantrin culture. As I looked at the people around me, I racked my brains to find a clue as to what could possibly happen. Did he have to fight? It was a possibility. I only noticed that the old Mantrinesse switched places with Arzu's father, who stood next to her in the circle, clockwise. He handed the _Joyt_ over to her. She carefully let it rest on her shoulder, plucking a string, the sound washing over us with all its strength. He looked down upon his son with mixture of pride and seriousness on his face. Then he bend down to pick up the staff by its hilt. The flat end was, as I suspected quite flexible but very strong too. With the staff in his hand he stepped forward toward Arzu. There he stood at about a meter and a half from him, his son facing him with equal pride. Reyzan took a breath.

"_Arzu... be strong!"_

His hand holding the staff pulled back. The lash of the flexible wood cracked through the air like a whip. But the sound it made when it made contact with his son's skin was worse. He tensed under the pain. He growled. It was nothing like what I went through during that moment. I gasped for breath. I suddenly felt cold, frightened. _What was going on here?_ I felt my heart beating against the inside of my chest again. Reyzan stepped back to his position in the circle, placing the staff back on the ground on its original location. His face showed practically no emotion. Arzu panted lightly. He was in pain. But his father traded places again with the old Mantrinesse and took the instrument from her, plucking another string. It was followed by the Mantrin next to him, stepping forward after retrieving his staff. He paused too for a moment and then repeated the act.

"_Be strong!"_

The powerful lash of the whip-like end of the stick. The roar from Arzu that followed as it struck its target. I was horrified. I couldn't bear to see him hurt. It appeared cruel, cold, emotionless. For a brief moment I saw nothing but torture. My heart sank as I watched him suffer, yet he continued to face each hit with determination. He was struck for the third time by the Mantrin next to the previous one. A slight trickle of blood ran down his back as he was left-handed. The red fluid glistened moistly in the light of the moons and the torches and appeared almost black. I couldn't watch, so I closed my eyes. I couldn't listen to his shouts. My legs started shaking. I cringed after each hit. I couldn't take it. It was as if the staff struck us both at the same time.

"Stop it! What're you doing? You're hurting him!" The Mantrin on my right shouted at me, probably telling me to be quiet and stay put. The ritual continued. I felt miserable just watching. A lump started to form in my throat. I could feel my lower jaw quiver. Not long thereafter a tear left a warm wet trail on my right cheek. "Please," I begged, whimpering softly. Another lash. I grinded my teeth as I bit them, trying to block the signal somewhere between my ears and my brain. I heard him shouting again, a mighty roar of agony. More blood ran down his back. Nobody listened. Nobody seemed to care. For the first time, they felt truly alien while in fact I was the outsider. I was the one who had no idea what was going on. How could they do such a thing? The drone of the _Joyt_ again. But it wasn't followed by a lash. Someone shouted. It took me a second to realize they were shouting at me. The Mantrin on my right turned out to be the last one. It was only then that I realized it was my turn. I felt helpless. I couldn't bring myself to pick up that staff. Through eyes that had filled themselves with tears I looked at Niryn. "No. Please, don't make me do this."

"_Pick it up."_

Her words were cold, drained of all kindness. She actually sounded harsh. Was she angry with me?

"_Do as she says!" _

It was the Mantrin next to me again, growling. With my hand trembling I bend down to pick up the staff. I was sobbing lightly. The staff was heavier than expected, but still I could handle it with ease. But I couldn't. Slowly, with each step wobbling I moved toward him. I noticed how he looked at me from the corner of his eye, panting, but without remorse. He was bleeding. Blood trickled from his wounds. How could he make me do this? _How could you, Arzu?_

"_Just do it, child!"_ Niryn's voice. She snarled at me. Something that made me cringe too. I felt incredibly vulnerable. It was hurting me too. And so I did it, taking aim at his back. I closed my eyes while I did it, pulling my arm back, lashing out with the staff. I didn't hold back. I just struck, felt the strength of the hit through the staff, heard him roar in pain once more. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't take this anymore. I stepped backwards to my place in the circle, placed the staff back on the ground. I didn't even notice how they looked at me. I wanted to run away. Away from all this. So I was about to. I stepped back further. _"Stay in the circle!"_

I couldn't take it when she snarled at me like that. I know I possibly ruined it but if I had known before all this maybe things would've been different. Right now I was confused, I was horrified, I was hurt. It left room for little rational thought. It was Niryn's turn. In sharp contrast to me, she picked up the staff and struck her son without any hesitation. Again that roar. The sound of Arzu in pain. I looked at my staff and noticed there were smudges of his blood on the flat end. _When does it stop?_ I wished for it to stop. It was eating away at me. They were hurting me just as much as they were hurting him with each lash. But it didn't seem to stop. The circle was fully round, with the old Mantrinesse who had initiated the ritual, trading places with Reyzan again. And again he picked up the staff and repeated what he did the first time. Arzu was panting heavily. He groaned. His legs were shaking. The blood had left trails that formed forked patterns on his skin. And they continued. I thought it would never end, yet I was afraid to retort. I was still trying to blind and deafen myself, as I fought a losing battle against my own sorrow. Until finally, about two places from me, someone shouted something. When I opened my eyes, Arzu was still standing, the trails of blood had reached the ground by now. A few drops leaked into the grass from the base of his tail.

"_It is done."_ It was the old Mantrinesse again. _"Arzu, your adulthood has now been bestowed upon you. We bid you health and happiness for the remainder of your life."_

He thanked her. It was over. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes but it were the most difficult ones in my entire life. Arzu was quickly surrounded by the members of his family. They congratulated him. They took care of him. They had brought a med kit. However, I did what I wanted to do from the beginning. I ran away.

With tears wetting my cheeks I ran back through the small patch of forest and down the hill. I wasn't thinking anymore. I wanted to get away from there. I wanted to go home, but for some reason I couldn't. I wanted an explanation. _Why didn't he tell me?_ Going down was easier than going up and I reached Arzu's house fairly quickly. I tugged at the sliding door to get it open and went inside, not bothering to close it. Right there in the living room, where the lights were still on, I lowered myself on one of the floor pillows around the table. I remember hugging my legs closer to my body and right there, since quite a while ago, I cracked. I buried my face in my arms and cried. Not for myself but for him. For his pain. For making me hurt him, something I practically swore to myself I would never do. I don't know for how long I sat like that before I heard the sounds of them coming back to the house. I heard the voices coming from outside but only one person entered. I heard the thumps of his feet, the scratching of his claws, the soft, slightly timid sound of his voice.

"Rachel?"

And that's when it happened. My sorrow turned into something else. Something I had never felt toward him before either. It was anger. Within a split second, I stopped crying and looked up at him, my teeth clenched together.

"_How could you make me do that?"_

The way I shouted the words at him made him flinch. He was no longer nude. He wore his usual T-shirt and shorts. His wounds seemed to have been healed, easy when making use of a tissue regenerator. His ears sagged and for a moment his bottom lip quivered when he opened his mouth to speak.

"I... I'm sor-"

"Yeah, I know you're sorry!" I sniffled and wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my sweatshirt. "You're always sorry."

He sighed. He spoke softly, hesitant, as if he were afraid that I would snap back at him again.

"I-I realize now that I probably should've told you. But I think I was afraid you would say no." A moment in which neither of us said something followed. It made me think seriously about what I would've done if he did tell me before. Of course I would never know now. "Are you angry with me?"

"Yes! Yes, I am angry with you! You should've trusted me!" I shook my head. "I trusted you. I thought we could tell each other everything."

I noticed how he grabbed a pillow and kneeled on it before me on the floor, his middle leg segments placed flat on the pillow.

"I'm really sorry, Rachel. But you have to understand. This was really important to me. I know it was difficult for you. You didn't want to see me hurt but I was glad you were there with me." I looked at him. I looked in his eyes. Eyes that were moist, filled with guilt and asking me to forgive. "I'm all right now," he added. "Please. I'm sorry." I didn't want him to say it again. I believed him. And right now there was nothing I needed more than a hug and some comfort, even though I was angry at him. It was hard to be. He had put himself through a lot. So I got up from my seating position and hugged him tight. I began sobbing again, with my face buried into his large chest as I felt how he closed his arms around me, offering me more comfort, aided by his size and the warmth of his body, than I could wish for. "It's all right."

I felt how he gently rubbed my head. His warm protective embrace lasted for about a minute until I finally freed myself and caught my breath. It was a relief. I was glad he was okay.

"I-I think I was scared," I stammered, wiping off the remaining tears that hadn't been absorbed by his shirt.

His ears looked as if they were going to become one with the back of his head if they sunk any lower. For a moment I thought he was going to cry too. Instead, he brought his large hand up to my face and caressed my cheek as he used to do often. His touch was warm. I placed my hand on top of his and squeezed softly, pressing it against my face. I loved him so much I couldn't watch him suffer nor could I stay mad at him for long.

"I didn't... mean to scare you. But I understand. I know it may have seemed brutal but it's only symbolic. The lashes represent the hardship I must be able to deal with when I'm an adult. And just like you were there with me tonight, I hope you'll be with me for the rest of my life so we can face everything together and be even stronger."

I was caught by his words for a moment. He loved me, just as much as I loved him. He knew he had done something wrong and therefore he apologized.

"I... I didn't wanna hurt you."

He swallowed and put his other hand on my shoulder. I was still holding on to his right hand and placed a kiss on its soft palm.

"I know. But you still did what was asked of you. That was very brave."

With his soothing voice he had managed to calm me down. I wasn't even mad at him anymore. I was just glad it was over. Niryn finally took a peek inside, first placing one foot on the floor and slowly following with the other when she noticed I had settled down a bit and regained control of my emotions. I was just glad she smiled again and her voice had that warm undertone back. She had sounded so harsh and mean back there in the forest.

"There there now." Grabbing another pillow she kneeled next to her son. "Rachel, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I thought you knew." She looked at her son and frowned, one ear flattening. "Arzu, that wasn't very considerate of you."

"I know, mom. Sorry."

Leaning closer to her son she licked his cheek.

"Learn from your mistake. You're an adult now." He nodded. His ears slowly rose back to their normal position. His mother gently petted my head as if I were a small child. "You know what? I'm gonna make you a nice cup of _Hesjwii_. That'll make you feel better."

I drank _Hesjwii_ before in a restaurant once. It was mainly made from a fruit with the same name that had an effect comparable to coffee due to it containing a substance quite similar to caffeine. Different flavors could be created by using several other ingredients but the main taste was strong, slightly sweet and energizing. I thanked her and as she stood up and went to the kitchen, I flung my arms around Arzu's muscular neck as the rest of his family reentered the house. Only this time I didn't seek comfort. It was a sign of my love for him once again.


	8. Shadows Falling

**Chapter 8 Shadows Falling**

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**Author's Note:**

**I posted this on deviantART too.**

**This chapter contains a few elements partially inspired by another Titan A.E. fanfic called "Lachrimae". It was arguably the best AE fanfic ever written but sadly it was never finished and eventually taken off the web for the most part. Only the first 8 chapters remain here on . It's all that remains of the 45 chapters that were originally written.**

**So as a little oath to this fic and its writers, here is chapter 8. I wish you'd have finished it or at least kept the rest of the chapters up as well, as it would have provided Stith and Mantrins in general with a wonderfully rich background and universe of their own. It almost sounds like it could've been a franchise. You should've had a little more faith in your own story.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

It was the first true test of our relationship and at that moment I began to realize it wouldn't be the last. I also realized, despite the fact that I had lived my whole life around their kind, that I still knew nothing about their culture. My parents sort of warned me for this, early in my relationship with Arzu. The only excuse I can come up with, is that it is next to impossible to know everything. Their culture is so complex, so incredibly diverse, strengthened even more by the different races and their subcultures, the isolated communities and the tribes. But what I found worse is that for only a very slight moment, I think I lost my trust in him. The reason I forgave him? Simple enough. I could've asked. He never would've lied to me. Even up till now he never did. And nobody is perfect. He admitted his mistake. He tried to make up, right the moment he saw me. He was shocked to see me like that as he felt responsible. But my anger quite possibly shocked him more. I had never been angry with him, ever. I guess there's a first time for everything. Up till now however, it has never happened the other way around.

"I think I _was_ scared. I never thought it would be anything like that." He's taking a breath. Right now I know so much more about him, about his people, their customs. We know a lot more about each other. The horizon is cutting Sogowa's sun in half. The last rays are trying to keep us warm. And here we still are, retrieving the memories of our past. And judging by the look on Arzu's face, the one that bubbled up in his mind is not a happy one. I think I know what this one is about. "What's on your mind?"

He contorts his face a bit, his muzzle slightly wrinkling.

"The day after that. I remember I was worried you'd become afraid of me."

I was right. It was the beginning of a dark period for our town. _Myr'uya_ would never feel quite the same for a long time after that.

* * *

I remember waking up the next day with the events of the night before flashing back into my mind immediately, accompanied by a somewhat nagging feeling in my head. It wasn't a headache but I felt like it could develop into one if I didn't take action. I slept surprisingly well despite everything. That cup of _Hesjwii_ Niryn prepared for me the night before was at least partially responsible. I didn't know if I liked it that strong but I didn't want to be rude and apparently she felt I could use it so I didn't complain. Sometimes, including this time it has the opposite effect on me. Tiredness caught up with me. Niryn invited me to stay. I called my parents. After some hesitation they approved. So right now, I'm looking up at the ceiling, or actually the roof, the sun shining in through the large skylights, lighting up dust particles floating in the air. It was still surprisingly cool but the house was equipped with a climate control system which kept the temperate at a constant level. The only thing that made it almost uncomfortably warm under the covers was the body next to me, which doesn't just feel but is actually warmer than my own. That morning I woke up in a bed, a room and a house that were not my own. Fortunately I didn't have to wake him up in the middle of the night, which he asked me to do if he became annoying in his sleep. I woke up on my back and as I looked to the side, I watched Arzu's sleeping figure for a moment, a little huddled against the nearest wall on our left, as if afraid he would hurt me in his sleep. But it was remarkable how that didn't happen. I think he was more concerned than I was. To avoid ripping the sheets with his claws he wore special covers over his toes, a little like soft slippers but for each toe individually. It also protected me from accidental scratches. He looked sweet in his sleep, his large bare chest rising and falling with each calm breath he took. And then, as if he sensed that I was awake and watching him, he flicked an ear, eyes slowly opening. He looked at me through tiny slits, his beak curving into faint smile. Shoving an elbow under his torso he pushed himself up, placing his muscular shoulder against the wall, left arm on top of the covers. Opening his mouth he yawned, long and wide enough that I began to wonder if his beak was stuck in that particular position which I hoped wasn't the case. As he exhaled sharply when closing his mouth, I was suddenly hit by something other than the slightly sweet scent I was used to.

"Arzu!"

Placing the hand of his unused hand over his rounded muzzle tip he apologized.

"Sorry," he said with a muffled voice, ears folded back.

"Watch where you aim that morning breath." I laughed shortly after that. It was one of those stupid things. He almost looked ashamed. "Don't worry about it. Everyone has that."

I grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm down. He offered some slight resistance in the beginning but eventually he let me.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked carefully, obviously with what happened yesterday still in the back of his mind.

Groaning softly I pushed myself up to a seating position, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the palms of my hands, feeling how my long hair tried to surround me. I yawned one time before looking at him, smiling.

"Quite good actually." Throwing the covers off of me, I flung my legs over the edge of the bed, placing my feet on the soft carpeted floor and stood up, taking a few steps through the room before turning around and stretching. I didn't bring any pajamas with me as I never really planned on spending the night at Arzu's house so I just kept my underwear and shirt on during the night. Arzu just watched me with lazy eyes, something that amused me. "C'mon sleepyhead. The sun and I are up and ready."

With some of my encouragement he pushed the covers away, exposing his enormous legs which he flung over the edge of the bed in a surprisingly similar elegant fashion and rose to his feet. He looked a bit funny with his toe slippers on but it was necessary to protect the bedding. He took them off by gripping them with their bottom to the carpet under his bed and sliding his toes out. His long tail swished slightly as he did this. As I studied his bare back, there didn't seem to be a single scar left after last night's treatment. Advances in medical technology made this possible, although some Mantrins liked to keep scars as a kind of token. Arzu could have chosen to keep the scars on his back as a sign of adulthood but I was glad he didn't. Turning around he found what he was looking for next, a wrinkled red T-shirt lying on the floor pillow in front of the desk. He grabbed it but didn't put it on. Instead he looked at me.

"If you wanna... take a shower. Go ahead. I'll go after you. I'll go see if my parents are awake and help with preparing breakfast."

I nodded. For some reason, just like right now it struck me again how large he was. This effect was even greater when standing in a smaller room with him. Not that his bedroom was small. He needed space to move around without constantly hitting things with his legs or his tail. But if I had to come up with words to describe him as he stood at a small distance from me, it were things like 'humongous', 'gargantuan' and 'hulking'. Even the largest human male would have trouble being a match for him. Still his impressive stature was a bad trait to judge him by for he is really merely a gentle giant.

After I left his room I took a left to the generously sized bathroom. A room I had seen briefly last evening when I merely splashed some water in my face and brushed my teeth with a spare sonic toothbrush I could borrow. Rather conveniently, these things come with detachable heads and there were a couple of spares. Just a tad bigger than I was used to as was almost everything in the house. Almost half of the bathroom is taken by the shower space. A cubicle or bath would either have to be extremely large so maximum use of the available space was made by dedicating a quarter of the entire room for this purpose. The person standing under the shower head was hidden from view by a thick opaque sheet of glass that ran about halfway to the other side, leaving a large opening and a small stone border to keep the water in and on that side of the room. Furthermore there was a large sink and a toilet especially designed for their species. Standing farther away from the wall, the seat had two shallow bowl-shaped notches on both front sides and at the rear a plateau for the tail to rest. For humans it was harder to use due to the width of the seat but for them it was perfect. The walls and floor were tiled in marble-white with large rectangular pieces, quite stylish I had to admit. Light was provided by subtle spots. After locking the door I undressed and stepped into the shower which felt like a small room on its own. The water was warm quickly after turning it on and as I stepped under the wall of falling droplets which was much too large for my humble human body I relaxed completely, trying to clear my mind. The water was just the right temperature. The air I breathed was slightly humid but the ventilation system automatically kicked in. Closing my eyes, I listened to the rushing sound of the water falling around me. By touch I found a bottle of shower gel. Washing my hair would have to wait until I was home. I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain the reason. But the shower gel had a wonderful sweet scent, a mix of smells unique to Solbrecht due to the combination of flowers and fruit. It stirred up my empty stomach making me long for breakfast with Arzu and his parents. So after cleaning myself up I turned the water off and quickly dried myself off with one of the huge clean towels from a shelf at the opposite side from where I stood. After hanging the towel on a rack to dry and getting dressed halfway I realized there wasn't a thing I could do with my hair. A hairbrush was a foreign object in most Mantrin households, expect for Fjetanha families but their race was less common. They were an intriguing sight though, especially the females with their long hair in several vibrant colors, sometimes more than one and they love being creative with it, sometimes in combination with jewelry and other accessories. So instead I used my fingers to comb my hair and after considering my efforts good enough I opened the door, walking straight into Arzu.

"My mom has breakfast almost ready. I'll go quick and meet you downstairs."

"Okay. I didn't take too long, did I?"

I was afraid he had been waiting there all the time but I had no idea about what time it was and how long I had been in there. Couldn't be more than twenty minutes in total or so. He stepped aside to let me through, one ear lowering slightly.

"No, of course not." He smiled.

"See ya in a minute."

I went back to his room first to grab my jeans and check my phone only to find out there was nothing new or worth mentioning, just the usual advertisements and news updates I didn't even bother to read. Today was our last day off school so I resolved to make the most of it and I was definitely not planning to do that alone. Then I went casually walked out on just my socks, hearing the sound of falling water as I strolled down the broad stairs.

Just as I walked past the door of the kitchen, crossing the entry hall to the living room I ran into Niryn who showed me her kind smile. She and her mate were already dressed, walking around in shirt and trousers. The table in the living room was set with plates and various food items which made me hungry. She wished me good morning in _Saerinian_ and I greeted her back the same way.

"Very good," she complimented, stepping aside to let me pass but I halted, thanking her, greeting Reyzan too and complimenting them back about their English pronunciation. "Almost no accent. But your voice's just a tad soft. It misses the strength that we possess. Use your throat." She greeted me again, this time emphasizing the subtle grunts that supported the language and enhanced its strength. These guttural sounds were shared by more of their languages, some from which I knew a couple of words such as _Cadaii_, a more widespread Orketh dialect, _Preidogian_, a common language among all races, not that unlike _Saerinian_ and especially _Horeht_, a Logri dialect fairly common on _Hotor_, the northern polar continent of Solbrecht where many of their kind live. It is also not uncommon for Mantrins to fluently speak more than one of their languages, usually a combination of their own regional dialect and one of the more widespread languages. Next to their own, many of them speak quite a good word of English with Arzu's parents being an excellent example themselves. And so I greeted her back, following her instructions for correct pronunciation. A xenolinguist would definitely have lots of fun with this. My voice was just not powerful enough but still I didn't do a bad job, or so Niryn thought. "You're quite good. Did Arzu teach you that?"

I nodded.

"For the most part. But friends of my parents taught me a little too when I was younger."

I was referring of course to Tyru and Hohra who taught me most of what I know about their culture and language as I grew up. You might have noticed that I bring them up a lot but that's because they visit fairly often and my parents knew them practically since they moved into town when they arrived from Earth. That was more than seventeen years ago. As I told Niryn this she was all ears and her mate seemed impressed too. Usually it was us who taught them everything, or so it has been for the past few hundred years when humans first settled on Solbrecht, bringing our technology and modernizing the lives of those who were willing to accept. But still, after all that time there is still oppression against us being here. They were commonly known as the conservatives. They mostly live their lives in a strictly traditional manner, in their own isolated communities, without technology, sticking to their own ways, detesting alien influence. Although known for leading an almost tribe-like style of life they are still inherently different from the indigenous tribes. In contrast to them, the conservatives don't avoid contact with the modern world entirely. In fact they're known for their demonstrations and occasional acts of violence when these get out of hand which unfortunately happens quite frequently, just like not so long ago in _Oh'nurhi_, a city not too far from our town. Their actions not only sparked fear but also hatred between our species. In my honest opinion they were trying to drive us apart, by force if necessary. Niryn sighed but still she smiled, her left ear twitching.

"I wish more people were like you and Arzu. You two have managed to do what many of both our species just can't seem to accomplish, accepting each other's differences and embracing them."

I loved the way she said that and secretly I had to agree with her. The world would be so much happier if everyone accepted each other as they were. Reyzan positioned himself next to his mate, fondly placing his hand on her right upper knee.

"I have to get to work. Excuse me, Rachel. Forgive me for not sharing breakfast with you."

"It's all right, I understand."

The sides of his beak curled up slightly. Looking away from them I gave them a small moment of privacy. I heard Reyzan whisper a couple of sweet-sounding words in his own language as he moved closer to his mate, some of which I understood. From the corner of my eye I saw how he licked her cheek as goodbye and how she returned his affection by purring lightly and drawing her tongue over his neck, rubbing her beak across his face as they broke contact. As they parted, he touched her face in a fond way, caressing her cheek with his fingers as Arzu often did with me.

"See you, Rachel."

He briefly put his incredibly large hand on my shoulder as a kind of goodbye. Feeling his pant pockets he retrieved the keys of his car as he walked out. A moment later I heard the light slam of the front door, followed by the door of the car shortly thereafter. As the sound of the hover vehicle powering up reached our ears Arzu walked in, his shirt and shorts appearing rather wet from having absorbed water from his skin. Niryn raised an eye ridge and flattened an ear as her son didn't even seem to notice this. He greeted his mother with his gaze locked on the table.

"You're fast," I remarked, genuinely surprised.

I was downstairs for just a few minutes.

"A little too fast," Niryn grumbled. "Did you even dry yourself off? Your ears are dripping."

Indeed the water leaking from the tips was busy soaking the shoulders of his T-shirt.

"Oh," was all he said but his mother stopped him dead in his tracks by obstructing the way to the table.

"Arzu, c'mon now. Dry yourself off. We'll wait. I'll get the eggs."

"All right."

As her son turned around and trudged back the way he came to get a towel from the kitchen she shook her head and gestured for me to sit down.

"It's all right, dear. Let me get the last few things. Then we'll eat."

And so I had a traditional breakfast with Arzu and Niryn but even at the breakfast table there were influences of our culture that blended with theirs. Various native fruits, some cooked vegetables, poached eggs, as you might expect not from a chicken of course, and large flat pieces of bread, with bread definitely being the exception here. It was completely unknown to them until we introduced it and since then became fairly common. Sometimes, cooked or dried fish and meat were part of breakfast as well but these were absent. They were not part of everyday breakfast just like the eggs. It was common to alternate between different combinations. In addition to the food we each had a good cup of morning _Hesjwii_, fortunately in my opinion not as strong as the one I had last night. Still I ate with relish and a bit of everything and that made Niryn happy.

"Reyzan works at _Pherradyne_ Corporation," she told after emptying her mouth.

"You might not be able to tell but he's an engineer."

"That's in _Qhir'et_, right?" I asked, referring to a small city only about thirty miles from _Myr'uya_.

She nodded.

"It's a pretty big company. They develop new clean and renewable energy technologies. It's important for the continued existence of our planet in its current form."

It was only one of the topics we talked about. More important perhaps was Arzu and I discussing how we would spend our last day off. He quickly realized I wanted to spend it with him and that was really all that mattered to me and he immediately liked that idea too. Niryn told us she would go into town to get groceries and tidy up the house a bit and wished for us to have fun together. And so after helping Arzu's mother with cleaning up after breakfast, we brushed our teeth and left the house, going for a little stroll, deciding what to do first. We spawned a lot of ideas around the table but basically we were just going to hang out and do whatever we felt like doing. I also called my parents before we left, telling them everything was all right and that I would come home later this afternoon. The day proved to be beautiful again with a bright sun, little clouds and a mild breeze to accompany it. It was already late in the morning when we reached the lively center of town so after our walk and a little window shopping we had lunch together. Nothing fancy but it was good nonetheless. But the nicest part of the day was perhaps when we sat down in the park, at the top of a little bump, barely worthy of being called a hill, in the shade of a large _Hazaeth_ tree. The grass which covered the bump was like a natural pillow, nice and soft and fairly long too. From this higher spot we watched over part of our town, over people of different species walking their pets, children playing various sorts of games and over the large fountain, a true piece of art, in the shape of Solbrecht's largest flying predator in combat with one of its largest land predators. The water was jetted into the air from various locations on the sculpture, creating wonderful alternating decorative effects which were fascinating to watch. The conversations I had with Arzu over the course of the day went in all directions as we sat there, simply enjoying the view and each other's company. Stretching his long intricate legs with the double knees in front of him he eventually lied down into the soft grass, took a deep breath and looked up at the sky in which a few lonely dots of white calmly drifted by.

"I'm not sure what I wanna be," he said, looking at me, scratching his right thigh, answering the question I asked him about his ambitions. It was about time we made up our minds about who and what we wanted to be in this world and perhaps beyond. "Maybe I'll just go after my dad. Be an engineer. I like technology. And his work is important for all of us if we want to keep living our modern lives." I had no trouble picturing him being an engineer. He was pretty clever and had always shown his interest in modern and futuristic technological concepts. He was such a typical example of a member of his kind having adapted completely to a modern style of life but without giving up on any of their traditions or abandoning his culture. "What about you?"

Wrapping my arms around my right leg, pulling my foot closer to my body, I leaned forward with my right cheek on my knee, without breaking eye contact.

"I'm still not sure either. I'm still leaning toward being a doctor. You know, helping the sick and injured, curing disease."

He nodded approvingly.

"That's beautiful. That you wanna help others." He laughed. "Doctor Sanchez, something's wrong with me. My stomach hurts."

"You probably ate too much again," I added jokingly. He grunted in a quasi-indignant way, giving my shoulder a push. Although it was meant to be playful, his impressive strength was more than enough to almost push me over. "Hey!"

Now he was gonna feel my revenge. I wonder if he can withstand the amazing tickle of my fingers on his belly. He didn't suspect a thing but as strong as he was, his belly muscles couldn't handle the subtle touch of my fingers.

"Rachel stop, please!" he laughed, barely a few seconds later.

"Laughter is the best medicine of all," I said teasingly, not planning on stopping yet. His tail slammed on the grass between his legs. His foot claws buried themselves into the soil as he kicked, sending pieces of dirt into the air. The tears rolled over his cheeks from laughter when I finally showed him mercy. Leaning over him, I wiped at his cheeks which were surprisingly wet. "Aw, are you crying now?"

I playfully tapped his ear which flicked in a reflex.

"No, I'm not," he grinned.

Bending closer to him, I kissed him on his nose again. He responded by trying to lick my cheek but he couldn't get close enough to me as I pulled back.

"Missed me," I laughed, giving a gentle push at the place where I kissed him.

All I got was a white toothy grin in response. As I moved back from him, taking a kneeling position, in the grass he got up using just his abdomen muscles and pulled his legs a little closer to his body.

"Rachel? I'm truly sorry about what happened last night. You were right. I should've told you; trusted you."

"Arzu, it's all right. Stop feeling guilty." Firmly rubbing his strong right shoulder, I made him smile faintly again. "I learned something important last night. If I really want to be your mate, I need to learn everything there's to know about you. I just saw a part of you I had never seen before." Leaning over to him I whispered softly in his ear. "But I love you." When he somehow failed to respond, I could feel my own face twisting into a frown. I noticed how his eyes seemed to have grown bigger, as if he were frightened of something. Something out of my current field of vision. "Arzu, what's?-"

But as I traced his look into the direction of town, I spotted that what caught his shocked gaze. Three adult Mantrins, all of them rather large, were looking at us. I couldn't quite see their faces but their ears were flattened. But it wasn't the hostile stance or the penetrating looks they gave us, it was their clothing that quickly made me realize they were the wrong people to mess with. Two of them wore a collection of white cloth wrappings to cover their private parts, part of their thighs, torso and in one case part of the head and the ears. The last one wore regular clothes but he looked at us exactly the same way. My heart suddenly raced. Me showing visible affection toward Arzu and the other way around was what sparked their hateful reaction. I saw how other people and children in the direct neighborhood seemed to avoid looking at the trio directly, shooting stealthy glances as their attention was currently focused elsewhere. _On us._

"We better go," Arzu said, his voice suddenly sounding shallow, with a hint of fear in its undertone. He quickly rose to his legs, now avoiding their gaze. He seemed genuinely afraid and that scared me a little too. "I don't understand what they're doing here."

"Arzu? Why are you?-"

Grabbing my arm, a little rough at first but I felt his grip soften when he realized he was hurting me.

"Rachel, please. It's not safe."

Without saying anything I followed him down the hill, trying to keep up with his fast stride, making sure to stay close to him. I noticed from the corner of my eye how they traced us down. When I was sure we were out of their sight I finally spoke again. I noticed how Arzu's breathing was still accelerated and he hadn't slowed down his pace.

"They're not following us. You can slow down." He did hear me but his legs responded a few seconds later. He still had that frightened look on his face. "I better get home."

"It's not safe," he repeated. "I'm not gonna let you walk home on your own, Rachel. We better get to my house. It's closer."

And without any further protest I followed, completely silent along the way. I knew who, or at least what those Mantrins were and what they represented. They were members of one of Solbrecht's conservative groups. Maybe they were going to use our town for another one of their demonstrations, just like they did in _Oh'nurhi_. And the more I thought about it, the more it frightened me, as _Myr'uya_ had a sizable human population as well.

It was late in the afternoon when we reached Arzu's house. The car was parked in front of the house, indicating Reyzan was home. Retrieving his keycard, Arzu opened the door and walked straight through to the living room to find his parents. I heard him talking in his own language as I closed the large and heavy wooden front door, wiping my shoes on the doormat. I followed swiftly. I had expected to go home by the end of the day but right now that seemed like a dangerous option. When I walked into the living room, Arzu and his parents were standing in the middle in front of the holo TV. Due to their height I couldn't see what was on the screen but I heard the English voice of a female news anchor. I greeted them but none of them responded. They were all focused on the TV. Arzu stood more or less in between his parents, his knees almost touching the back of their thighs. I joined them, standing behind Arzu. I was shocked by what I saw. Filmed from the air by camera drone, images were shown of groups of Mantrins, dressed in the same cloth wrappings as the Mantrins we just saw, demonstrating in the town square and in several districts. The news anchor, a human woman was delivering commentary, with _Saerinian_ subtitles underneath.

"And so, _Myr'uya_ has been struck by the actions of the conservatives as well. Law enforcement has arrived on location to prevent acts of violence toward citizens. Frightening is that these acts of oppression seem to be organized and that they seem to be directed toward the presence of humans on Solbrecht. However, these demonstrations sometimes take the form of terrorism, just like the attacks against property and civilians in _Oh'nurhi_ not so long ago. We can only hope that _Myr'uya_ will be spared the deaths that occurred that day. We will keep reporting on the situation as it progresses."

I thought it was frightening, especially since the demonstrators had texts in their language written over their clothing in a blood red color. They didn't posses any advanced weaponry, although I did see some with longbows, fighting staffs and clubs. That made me wonder.

"Is that... blood?" I asked, as the camera zoomed in on a particularly large Mantrin with curly symbols written on his chest which seemed wet as if they had just been applied.

"It's not blood," Arzu replied, fairly sure of himself. "It's just body paint."

It was still frightening as it looked suspiciously similar to blood. But I believed him since I could barely believe myself that it was. They couldn't be that vicious. The current report was interrupted by different images from another location in town. A location I recognized shortly after the camera drone zoomed back out.

"The terrorists seemed to have reached one of the human districts of town. Police officers are on location."

"They're not terrorists," Arzu grunted, his voice raised to a level that made me wonder if he was angry. "They just want to preserve our culture and keep the planet healthy."

But I was worried. One of the groups of demonstrators had reached the street where I lived. Shortly thereafter I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Retrieving it, I was greeted by my mom's face when I answered the call.

"Mom? Are you all right?"

I walked away from Arzu's family, to a corner of the living room close to the entrance.

"Sweetheart, where are you? Are you safe?"

"I'm still at Arzu's house. I'm worried about you."

My voice cracked from nervousness as I felt my heart beating against the inside of my chest.

"Listen Rachel. The police is here. Your father and I are both home. We locked the door. Everything will be all right. Stay at Arzu's house, if that's okay with his parents."

I nodded. I shrieked lightly when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, completely unsuspecting. It was Niryn.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Can I talk to you mother?" With my eyes flashing to my phone and back to Niryn, I nodded, handing the device over to her. She cradled it in her large hand, turning it so she could speak to my mother. It was actually the first time they saw each other, I realized during that moment.

"My name's Niryn. Arzu's mother."

"Laura Sanchez. Forgive me for bothering you so much with this. Is it all right if my daughter stays with you until this is over?"

Niryn nodded immediately, her voice calm and soothing, just like her son's often was.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of her. She's safe with us."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

"You're welcome to visit any time when this is over. We should meet."

Niryn nodded again.

"We'll do that. Shall I give you your daughter back?"

I saw my mom nod from the other side of the projected display, after which Arzu's mother carefully handed the device back to me. My mom's face was joined by my dad's too.

"We love you, Rachel. Take care. We'll see you tomorrow when this is over. We'll be fine."

"All right," I said quietly, not entirely convinced.

"We'll give you a call again tonight. Don't worry."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I sighed and looked at the floor between Niryn's clawed feet, worried, feeling a little sick to my stomach. Pocketing my phone, I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. The two feet I was looking at stepped closer, and suddenly I felt Niryn's arms around me as she pulled me into a light hug, firmly rubbing my back.

"It'll be all right," she said on a warm comforting and motherly tone.

Letting go she caressed my cheek with the back of her fingers. Arzu had joined her side with a worried look on his face, his ears in a horizontal position.

"Don't be afraid. We would never hurt you. You're safe."

I nodded, because I knew he spoke the honest truth. I was even convinced they would protect me from harm if it really came down to it.

"I know."


	9. Why We Can't Accept Each Other

**Chapter 9 Why We Can't Accept Each Other**

* * *

"I was afraid, Arzu. But not of you. I was afraid that something would happen to my parents, my friends, the people I loved."

When he is as silent as he is right now, avoiding my eyes, looking anywhere except for directly at me, he doesn't know what to say. I remember he was anxious too that evening. I couldn't return home. It wasn't safe on the streets. The demonstrators didn't come to riot or deliberately hurt people but we couldn't be too sure of that. Becoming trapped into a crowd of Mantrins, as a relatively small human being could be just as dangerous. And still, things could have gone wrong. During demonstrations there were always the 'aggressors'. People who tried to provoke responses from law enforcement officers or generally going too far in trying to make their point. They had the right to sound their voice and were entitled to their own opinion but their methods were crude sometimes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He sighs again. I'm surprised it still bothers him but I guess that's just how he is. He doesn't forget. That night brought me as close to him and his family as I could possibly get. They had even promised to protect me. But I do understand how Arzu felt at that time and even now as we both think back at those tense moments. The fear. The anxiety. I had to watch as his people demonstrated against the presence of mine. Of humans on Solbrecht. Their point was clear. They wanted us gone, out of their lives and off the planet.

"Nothing. It's just..." He nervously shuffles his feet. Then he just looks at me, with those amber-colored eyes from which one look says more than a thousand words. "It's always been like this for as long as your people have been on Solbrecht."

* * *

It's sad but he is right. So I spent the evening at Arzu's house once more. And we talked. We talked a lot while following the news on TV, hoping, praying that it wouldn't turn into another violent situation. Something that seemed to surprised Arzu's family, I was also concerned about the demonstrators themselves. If someone decided to use violence, they could get hurt badly. Police officers and even riot control was on location, humans and even Mantrins themselves. But they had weapons, guns, as opposed to the relatively simple hunting equipment of the conservatives. I hoped I wouldn't have to see that happen. I just wished it would be over soon before anything _could_ happen. The risk was always there.

"You're... concerned about them?"

Niryn's voice sounded almost as if she wanted to check if I was still in my right mind. Self-evidently, they shared their meal with me that evening. It was as if Niryn had accounted for me to stay, so much food there was. It was the first time I had dinner with them but I had really enjoyed breakfast that morning and I already loved Niryn's cooking, although Reyzan had a hand in it too this time. I answered her question with a slow nod while emptying my mouth.

"I just don't want for anyone to get hurt." The sound of the TV was turned down during the meal. At this moment, nothing serious seemed to be going on, so we created a little bit of peace for ourselves as we sat with each other around the table in the living room. The lights were turned down to a pleasant level and it actually felt a bit cozy. I figured they just wanted to put my mind at ease and offer a bit of distraction. "Is that strange?"

She shook her head.

"No of course not."

"I think it's very noble of you, to be concerned about us too," Reyzan added, biting a piece of an elongated vegetable that closely resembled rhubarb. Only it was soft, cooked, a little sweet and called _Tisjva_. "It only shows that you care about others."

I sighed, putting a piece of the same vegetable in my mouth, chewing slowly. I wasn't really sure what to say, merely wished things were different. But it was hard to suddenly change the opinions of thousands who had been strictly keeping to their own culture for an equal number of years. And according to Arzu's parents it had been like this since the beginning. Since the moment first contact between our two species had been established and the first human colony on Solbrecht was born. I guess people just didn't like to talk about it. But the opinions of Solbrecht's largest group of inhabitants were so divided. It was very unclear what they wanted as a whole. Those who had adapted to the modern way of life didn't mind. They generally welcomed all the little things that made life so much easier. They tolerated us. They accepted us. They made you believe that the whole racial difference issue was based on thin air. On the other side and in sharp contrast to this particular group are the conservatives. They could easily give you the idea that they absolutely hated humans and for a number of them that was true. In fact, some of them hated humans with a passion and wouldn't even hesitate to kill if one entered their territories. The true fanatics however rarely showed themselves but a group of demonstrators could easily hide one or two of them and they were often the cause when things got out of hand. In the middle of these two extremes were those completely indifferent toward the whole thing. This smaller group was tolerant but some seemed to avoid interaction with people of other species rather than engage into it. They live with us but stick to themselves. It didn't matter to them if we went or stayed as long as we treat the planet and its inhabitants with the respect they deserve. That last thought is shared by all Mantrins.

"I've witnessed one of these demonstrations before when I was younger," Niryn told. "Every once in a while they hold them but usually they target the larger cities."

"I don't know why they picked our town," Arzu said, picking at his food with his fingers. "Maybe because a large part of the inhabitants is human."

That was exactly what I was afraid off. I couldn't get the thought out of my head that they might be bent on causing us harm.

"Rachel, if I may ask, why did your parents move to Solbrecht?" By the tone of Niryn's voice I could tell she was just interested in the reason why an average human family decided to leave their planet to find a home somewhere else in the galaxy. I wasn't quite sure if I told Arzu that story before. But I think it's time to let you in on that as well. I asked my parents more or less the same thing as I got older. It all starts on our little planet called Earth. In the late thirtieth century, Earth is vastly overpopulated. Humanity has long spread out to find new places to colonize and has thereby come into contact with numerous alien species, some of them in the process of doing the same. However, finding a habitable world that hasn't been claimed by somebody else is extremely rare. That's why humanity also settled in small numbers on other planets, one of such being Solbrecht. My parents used to live in the New York area of one of Earth's megacities, essentially a giant metropolis, the fusion of several large urban areas into one, home to more than six-hundred million souls stretching over thousands of square miles. Advanced technologies were responsible for keeping the air breathable, for allowing citizens to travel around with relative ease and to keep life worth living. However, the extreme growth of Earth's population, despite the measures taken to control it, particularly in the later centuries had already taken its toll. Thousands of Earth's species of plants and animals had already gone extinct in the wild, now only residing in carefully controlled growth areas, their DNA stored in enormous archives to allow for repopulation in the future. My parents grew tired of this life, this endless cityscape without a single leaf of green. Since they were able to afford a way out of there, they eventually took it, leaving behind their old lives to begin anew, on another world. And that world became Solbrecht. A world that still possessed what Earth had lost so long ago already. The beauty of the planet itself. As I told Arzu's family all of this, they forgot to eat. It was hard for them to imagine what it was like, but for me, the only time I had seen it with my own two eyes, was impossible to forget. I could hardly believe that Earth as it is now, is humanity's crib and I understood perfectly why my parents decided to leave. Since they are so close to nature, I don't think Mantrins would be able to survive in an environment like that. In a world so stripped of everything natural, they would be deeply miserable. "Have you ever gone back to Earth?"

I nodded, a little absent-mindedly, as the images flash through my mind. Images of enormous spires of glass, steel and concrete. Of endless active surfaces for vehicles of all sorts to travel on, coiling through the landscape like artificial rivers. And of the sky in which the place of every single bird was taken by multiple layers of air traffic, forming long lanes, fully guided by advanced onboard computer systems.

"Just once. I still have an aunt living over there. Family relationships haven't been that good but when my grandmother died we had to go. In fact it was my aunt who contacted my mom to tell her that she passed away. That was two years ago. We were saving for another trip but my mom's sister let us know that she'll visit us instead, later this year. She's never gone anywhere besides Earth so it's gonna be her first interstellar trip as well."

As they listened to all of this, slowly continuing to eat, they came to the same conclusion.

"So you've never lived there."

I shook my head.

"My mom was pregnant when she left Earth. I was born here."

Arzu flicked an ear, looking at me, smiling.

"Well, in my opinion, that makes you as much an inhabitant of our world as I am."

I'm not exactly sure why he said that. I was pretty sure he meant it, because he never lied, but I also figured he just tried to make me feel just a little bit better. On TV they were still reporting on the situation but nothing seemed to have changed just yet. The conservatives were still demonstrating under the watchful eye of law enforcement officers, swinging their weapons in a threatening display, crying out their statements. Statements that were also mirrored by the writing on their clothing.

"Thank you, Arzu. But... I don't think I've ever called Solbrecht my home. Not as a whole. We have a saying: Home is where the heart is. And I think that this little town is the only thing that fits into that." I watched his face change from a faint smile, to a somewhat gloomy stare accompanied by lowered ears, and back into a faint smile again. Reyzan and Niryn just listened but didn't comment. Our attention was eventually caught by what happened on TV. The camera zoomed in on a trio of Mantrins trying to stir up the rest with their shouting and throwing their firsts, some of them clamped around weapons in the air. They had writing all over their cloth wrappings too. "What does it say?" I asked, despite my slight fear of the answer.

I wasn't sure if they could read all of the texts. Some of them were written in _Saerinian_ but they had used other written languages too. A particular large piece written in blood red paint on the chest of a large Sogowan missing about half of his right ear occupied the center of the displayed footage as three heads turned toward the screen as well.

"Cleanse."

Arzu's reply was hesitant. It was as if he were afraid that I would ask this question yet I could feel his answer was honest, despite the hesitation. It was confirmed by the news anchor reporting on the situation shortly thereafter. A couple of more translations followed, all making clear that in their opinion, humans were not welcome on Solbrecht and never would be. I tried to hide it, but it kind of hurt to see so much hatred from the people to which the person I loved so much belonged. And my question was: why? Why did they hate humans so much? Did they truly feel that the existence of their culture was threatened by our presence so much that they wanted us all gone? Or was there some other, more concealed reason as to why they despised the people from Earth?

"Sounds like they really want us gone," I muttered under my breath, pushing against a piece of vegetable on my plate with my index finger.

"They've always wanted that," Niryn said, trying to make it sound like it wasn't such a big deal as the people on TV tried to make it sound. She added a shrug. "And yet your people are still here." Her tone of voice was genuinely admiring. I wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say but her next statement made it clearer. It was almost as if she seemed proud of us still being here despite the somewhat hostile stance of her people toward mine. "It's always been like this and yet you never let yourself be chased off by those few. It's just part of a such divided culture as ours."

"I guess we just got used to being despised." Shortly after that I realized I made a slip. It was out before I knew it and I really didn't mean for it to sound like it did. I could feel how I started to sweat. I was afraid I insulted them somehow because it suddenly got uncomfortably quiet around the table. I felt three pairs of eyes on me and two beaks fell open. I didn't even hear the occasional rustle of their tails sweeping the floor. I didn't know where to look. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. How could I have said such a thing in front of them? "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

What could've only been a few measly seconds felt like ages to me as I sat there, afraid to look any of them in the eyes. I don't think I've ever felt that stupid before.

"It's okay. We understand you're upset," Niryn finally said after what seemed like an eternity. "But, please Rachel. Don't think we're like that too. We like you. We don't mind that your people are here."

When I had gathered enough courage to look any of them in the eyes once more, I looked at Arzu's. I wasn't sure if they had turned moist but maybe it was just the light. Anyway, hearing me say something like that quite possibly hurt him. He couldn't keep it out of his voice either.

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this because of them. But don't forget, Rachel. I love you. I don't want you to think of us like that."

Of course I didn't. And of course I loved him, unconditionally. Meeting Arzu and falling in love with him was the best thing that ever happened to me. That's an honest statement. But Niryn was right. I was a bit upset. I could hardly believe it myself.

"I'm sorry, Arzu. Of course I love you. I don't know why I said that."

"The first stone has been thrown! What we're seeing here is an act of aggression toward humans on Solbrecht. From another angle we see a couple of shots being fired by a police officer and the result of the object smashing through the window of a nearby residence. I sincerely hope that nobody got injured but it looks like the crowd is getting angry because of the people who got hit by the shots. Those guns are set to stun but-"

I didn't even hear the rest what she had to say. My heart was beating as if it was trying to escape through my chest. The only things I could think of were my parents and the people who lived in our street. I could see their faces in front of me and I almost yelped when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. Looking at each of their faces I pushed myself up from the pillow, asking for forgiveness as I walked away to a corner of the room and answered the call. It wasn't who I expected it to be though.

"Clara?"

"Rachel! Did you see what happened? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm at Arzu's house. My parents told me to stay there until it's over." The video call allowed me to clearly see her face, a genuine look of concern sketching its lines. I noticed she was breathing faster than usual. That made me worried as well. "What's going on? Is your family safe? You're home right?"

I watched as she nodded and tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath. She had bowed so close to her phone that the only thing I could see was her face but she shifted position on whatever it was she was sitting on (I assumed it was her bed in her room) and brushed a lock of hair out of her field of vision.

"We're fine. I'm following the news. We locked all the doors. So far nothing happened. But I can hear them outside. I'm afraid, Rachel. I'm worried about you."

I wasn't sure what to say. But I felt I had to say something to put her mind at ease. For a moment I forgot about the news and about Arzu and his family. I was worried about those I loved and grew up with.

"I'll be fine. It'll be all right. Don't worry." She looked the other way for a moment, distracted by noises outside her house. Clara lived in a different street but the demonstrators seemed to focus on districts with a lot of humans. As I knew she lived in a mostly human neighborhood too. "I'm actually eating right now, and I'm being a bit rude. I'll call you back later okay?"

She nodded after a slight moment, making sure nothing was going on downstairs, judging by the way she was obviously trying to listen.

"O-Okay. Take care. Love you."

"Love you too."

I kissed her goodbye and waited for her to return the gesture before ending the call, slipping my phone back into my pocket. I was about to return to the dinner table when I looked at the TV first, only to see the unexpected. Despite the act of aggression the group seemed to be counting their losses and calling it a day. They were backing off! They had obviously realized that if it would come to a fight, they would be severely outgunned. Even the news anchor breathed an audible sigh of relief as the camera zoomed out to overview the retreating group.

"Despite the hostile act and a few other minor incidents, the group seems to be retreating. We're now getting reports of groups of demonstrators doing the same in other parts of town. Nobody seems to have been injured and the damage seems to have been contained to property only. However the message was clear. A significant portion of Solbrecht's largest group of inhabitants wants humans to be gone."

The reporter continued to comment on the aftermath but I felt nothing but relief and all the tension flowed out of my body with a deep sigh, sending a last chill down my spine. The only thing that went through my mind was the guaranteed safety of those dear to me. Fortunately it didn't get out of hand so much as in _Oh'nurhi_. When I faced Arzu and his parents again, Arzu was on his feet and both Reyzan and Niryn smiled faintly.

"It's over," Niryn said, flicking an ear. She seemed relieved too. "It usually doesn't last long."

Arzu lightly bit his lip with his upper fangs and still looked a bit serious, plucking the hems of his shorts with one hand and letting his other arm dangle against his thigh. Somehow I felt it had something to do with my, how do I put it, uncalled for remark. I never should have said something like that. Now it seemed as if I was blaming all of his kind for the hatred against us. So I almost literally walked into him, placing my arms and hands on his chest, whispering a soft apology. Shortly thereafter I felt the comforting strength of his muscles around me as he gently placed his hands on my head and the small of my back, rubbing lightly. His voice was warm, deep and soft as usual.

"It's all right. I forgive you." I felt how his chest expanded as he took a slow deep breath and how it collapsed back to its normal size gradually as he exhaled. _"Nyemahja Ishvé."_

That night, against all odds I was able to return home normally, without any complications. The conservatives left town early in the evening but I still waited for a few more hours just to be absolutely sure, calling my parents I was coming home before I went. I also gave Clara a call that everything was all right and I called her again after I got home safely. I had felt genuine fear that evening. Not for myself. I wasn't even concerned about my own safety. Deep down I already knew I'd be fine as long as I stayed at Arzu's house. So I thanked Niryn and Reyzan for everything they had done for me during my stay, telling them I looked forward to their visit to my house. They said they would do that soon. I never told my parents exactly what happened on the night of Arzu's coming of age ceremony, just that everything went well. Somehow however I suspect my mom to know at least something. She knows a thing or two about their culture and she probably knows I'm just not telling. But she never asked. The next day school was cancelled due to the events of the night before but I didn't grab that chance to see Arzu again. In fact, as classes resumed I didn't see him after school for a couple of days. We both had to study. We _all_ had to study. The finals were getting uncomfortably close. But we also decided to take it a little easy just to be on the safe side. There could be people in town opposed to human-Mantrin relationships. If they saw us together it could be dangerous for us both. The way those Mantrins reacted when they saw us together that afternoon in the park. Just thinking about it freaked me out a little. But at the end of what you could call that week we had a night together again. This time I asked him out and despite his surprise he arrived at my house in his neat clothes once more that evening, this time to take me to one of their restaurants. And that's where we started one of those conversations again, under the delight of an excellent set of examples of Mantrin cuisine in an atmosphere that felt truly alien, for me that is, but strangely comforting as well. I was a little worried about how much this was going to cost us. It seemed like a fairly fancy place to me but Arzu seemed to take it strangely lightly. This was no buffet restaurant but we had a large variety of small dishes occupying the table and since everything was divided into small portions that are easy to eat using just the hands, I almost had the feeling I was eating some kind of alien sushi. They even had a _Joyt_ player, supplying us with an atmosphere of calm soothing music and he was occasionally joined by a young Fjetanha Mantrinesse playing a sophisticated wooden flute which produced some of the most unique and wonderful sounds I had ever heard. They performed on a heightened plateau in the middle of the restaurant. Our waiter was dressed very formally too, especially for someone of his kind. We sat opposite to each other on the wooden table on large decorated floor pillows and there was more than sufficient space between our table and neighboring ones to create a sense of privacy. Everything breathed luxury in its own special way, the Mantrin way I figured.

"Would you like some more honey mead?" he asked in a polite way, holding the bottle ready in his hand.

It was a unique beverage, imported from Sogowa and quite expensive. I wasn't really used to this so I pretended to the best of my abilities but I decided to take it easy.

"I'm good, thank you. Arzu, how're we gonna afford all this?" I asked with a frown and a bit of concern slipping into my voice.

He noticed but he merely smiled.

"Don't worry. I eh... I kinda saved up for this a little. I know how much you like our food."

"But your mom is a really good cook too! I really appreciate it though." He was visibly enjoying everything and especially us being together after a few days of being careful in public. Fortunately nothing happened, although it was impossible to avoid the stares when we entered this establishment for example. People had already figured out he wouldn't take me to a place this fancy just for no reason. "But I'm not gonna let you pay for all of this yourself."

His eyes twinkled with childish joy, his left ear giving a slight twitch.

"Oh, okay."

The food was excellent I had to admit that. With vegetables, meat, fish and fruit they were extremely creative and the comparison with sushi was quickly made due to the exquisite arrangement and structure of each portion. This was their food at its best and every bite was an explosion of flavor in my mouth. Just the smell made my mouth water. We ate slowly, savoring each moment as we explored the different things at our table. But we talked a lot too, about lots of things, some of them light-hearted, others more serious. The reason for one of such things were the glances everyone tossed us as they walked past. Most of the customers were Mantrins which wasn't surprising but they realized we were in love and quite possibly engaged. This gave rise to awkward looks of varying degree. However we didn't let ourselves be distracted by it, not even Arzu as he just seemed to ignore it while I sometimes looked back indignantly, often causing them to avert their annoying gazes. _Why couldn't they accept that these things happen in the multicultural society that Solbrecht became?_

"I just don't understand," I said after nipping from the contents of my glass, watching Arzu take a bite from a combination of cooked vegetables and a piece of fish. It fell apart a little above his plate which was unavoidable. It was like eating tiny pieces of edible art and that was just part of it. "We can't be the only ones. You can't be the only one of your kind who fell in love with a human. And of course that counts for me too."

I watched him swallow and put down the pieces he was still holding between his fingers on his plate. He shook his head.

"We're not. In the city where I lived before I moved here with my parents we had couples like that too. One of such lived nearby. Them being together, being... married as you call it, was met by the same response. When I... fell in love with you, I knew what it would be like. I knew many would disapprove." And yet he still chose me. And it was almost instantly mutual. That still surprises me sometimes. How easy it all went. That Arzu was handsome wasn't just my opinion. He _was_ handsome. I'm pretty sure he would've had no trouble finding a nice girl of his own species. A sweet girl, to match his own personality. But he could only think about me. And I loved him. I would never trade him in for any other guy. It's almost perfect. Almost. As I thought about that perfect girl for Arzu my gaze drifted off to the young flute player, performing in solo as her partner took a moment of rest, placing the large harp-like instrument onto its stand. She was a beautiful girl, I had to admit that, with her long hair in two different colors, black and a reddish brown, divided into two tails, reaching down to the base of her long slender, prehensile-looking tail with a plumed tip in crisp white. It contrasted wonderfully with the overall light tan brown color of her skin and her black beak. The song she played on her flute was powerful. Warm but still emotional. It caught me, reached deep into my heart. So much that Arzu noticed. "You like it?"

The sound of his voice almost startled me.

"Eh, yeah. It's beautiful. I eh... I had to think of my grandmother, suddenly."

"Your earrings belonged to her right? I really like them."

I nodded.

"I got them from my mom. And she got them from hers. I'm always a little afraid to lose them."

He nodded.

"I understand. It belongs in your family."

The significance of an heirloom was even greater in their culture. Pieces could be generations old, extremely valuable in several ways and they could be almost anything, from a piece of jewelry to a personal weapon from a family member who once belonged to a tribe.

Despite the occasional looks of other customers the evening progressed smoothly, enjoyably and although we sat there for several hours, too quickly of course. After having paid for everything and thanking our waiter for his services and even leaving a tip (I was surprised how we weren't completely broke afterwards and still managed to do this) we stood outside just a moment later, leaving the warmth, the live music and the coziness behind, stepping into a night that was slightly cool to the touch, quite possibly only due to the temperature difference. Leaning back against Arzu's chest, feeling his warmth, his arms meeting each other in front of my chest, I took a breath and closed my eyes for just a moment. I heard Arzu's soft purring as he nuzzled a little through my hair with his beak and against the side of my head.

"I loved it. You really didn't have to but it was wonderful."

"Thanks. I wanted to. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Trying to suppress a yawn I merely hummed in response. We stood there on the street for just a little longer. There were still people on the street at this hour but that didn't seem to withhold Arzu from showing his affection. At some point I could feel how his arms wrapped a little tighter around me and how he raised me off the ground a little. He started walking while holding me in his hug from behind.

"Arzu, what're you doing?" I asked, slightly laughing already.

"You're tired. I'm taking you home."

I wasn't quite sure if he was trying his best to sound serious or funny but it turned into an odd combination of both. I barely hopped up and down as he walked and it seemed cost him little effort if any at all. Again people eyed us but that wasn't surprising. I wasn't going to let him carry me home like that the whole way.

"It's okay, you can put me down. I'll walk."

After he released me gently, I turned around and was met by that lovely look of his. Bringing my hand to his face I caressed the side of his leathery beak. He closed his eyes in a response to my soft touch, giving a subtle purr, resting his long tail on the pavement. And then suddenly a grating voice snapped through the relative silence of the street. Due to his big steps, Arzu had brought us away from the center of town already and into a side street. The voice belonged to a male speaker and it was a Mantrin language. Those were the only details I could make out because he didn't speak _Saerinian_. This was some other accent I don't think I ever heard before, with more prominent growls but that could also be because it had sounded so full of hatred.

"_That's them! There's that human lover and his little slut."_ That I did understand for the most part and because it was _Saerinian_ Arzu did too. I watched as anger showed itself on his face, subtle but still recognizable. From a distance I had recognized them as Mantrins because of the shape of their bodies but the nearby streetlight allowed for a better view as they moved closer. Suddenly I was scared. There were five of them. I recognized the teenage Sogowans as two of the boys from the group that had bullied us after school one time. The largest of the two was the one who pointed at us and recognized us. But it were the other three that frightened me. They didn't wear regular clothes and that's what instantly betrayed them as members of a conservative group. Their eyes flickered with anger, hatred and quite possibly disgust. I couldn't be sure but it felt as if they had been waiting for us. I had stepped away from Arzu in the meantime but their approach had caused him to step in front of me instead, using his left leg to create a barrier of protection. I admired his courage but he was hopelessly outmatched if it would come to a fight if that was what they wanted. _"So, you're ready to defend her? You better be! You need to be taught a lesson. A lesson about what's right and wrong!"_

He was abruptly silenced by one of the adults, a large Goureg by race and he looked so aggressive. I was scared. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster and I started sweating. It was fear that threatened to overwhelm me. The adult Mantrin was quite a bit larger and more muscular than Arzu. And Arzu wasn't particularly small or skinny at all. I started not to just worry about me, but about him.

"Arzu, please. Let's just go."

But it seemed as if he was frozen in place. I was afraid it was too late. At a mere two meters the Goureg halted, accompanied by his two companions, a Sogowan and a smaller Orketh, with cold expressions on their beaked faces. The Goureg started to speak with a powerful rumbling voice, in _Saerinian_ but heavily accented. Due to that accent I figured his native language to be _Preidogian_ instead but I couldn't be too sure. My knowledge of the language wasn't sufficient to be of any help.

"_Look at you. Such a shame. Letting yourself in with the filth that's contaminating our world. Disgusting!"_ His cold blue eyes turned to me, sending a shiver down my spine. Warping his beak he spat on the ground before Arzu's feet. A bit of saliva trickled over his jaw but he didn't even bother to wipe it off. The only movement from Arzu's side was the tapping of his tail in a nervous motion, in sharp contrast to the lashing of the shorter tail of the Goureg. I heard the latter's knuckles crack as he balled his massive fist. _"Maybe you've never been taught."_

I didn't know what to do. I almost panicked. I was desperately racking my brains for a way out, only to realize that there wasn't any. I wanted to grab Arzu's arm and run but they would catch up to us anyway. But the answer came from Arzu. Only it wasn't the answer I expected. He looked at me, his voice a little on the harsh side but I listened immediately and automatically.

"Rachel, go straight home and whatever you do, don't turn back. Run."

"But..."

"Don't worry about me. Just go, _now._" I still hesitated. I knew what was going to happen. I could barely breathe. "Go now!" he shouted, raising his voice to me the very first time.

That frightened me too somehow. He had never shouted at me, ever. He couldn't keep the anger he felt toward the other Mantrins out of his voice either as he spoke. Anger and something else. Concern. About me. So I did as he told me. I walked backwards slowly and then I turned and ran. I ran despite my near inability to breathe. Away from my fears that were about to turn reality. I ran because it was what he wanted. At least for me to be safe. I ran because it was the only thing I could do.


	10. Tears

**Chapter 10 Tears**

* * *

I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life. The intense fear that caught me in its merciless grip, poisoned my mind, threatened to overwhelm me, hampered my ability to think straight. When I try to recall what happened after he sent me away I'm thrown back into that terrible night again. We both don't like to talk about that, but I'm going to tell you anyway. We've reached that particular moment in my life. Sogowa's sun is waving us goodbye, painting the sky in a beautiful mixture of orange and pink as the last part of her bright circle is sinking behind the horizon. It's a wonderful sunset. I remember how touched I was by its beauty when I saw it for the first time.

"I had to sent you away," he says, stepping closer to me, but remaining at a distance large enough so that he doesn't have to strain his neck to look me in the eyes. His size can still be a little overwhelming but I'm used to that. His ears droop. His voice softens. He's reliving that night with me. For me it was just the fear of what they would do to him, the moment I ran. For him, it was much worse. "I couldn't let anything happen to you. You could've gotten hurt trying to help me."

That was probably true. It became evident during his coming of age ceremony that I couldn't bear to watch him suffer. Ever since I knew him, he has been nothing but kind to me and the people around him. Not once has he showed signs of aggression or anger toward others.

* * *

I was in the grip of my own fear that already drove the beat of my heart to dangerously high levels and running didn't help things either. The sweat that felt cold on my forehead wasn't from tiredness. It was pure fear, like a fever. My throat felt a little soar. My mouth had gotten dry. A thousand frantic thoughts raced through my mind as my feet carried me away from the person I loved, who I knew was in danger. I knew he wanted me to go away but my heart ached. It felt like betrayal. I had to help him. Those Mantrins had looked so threatening. It seemed they hadn't left town completely just yet. Maybe they had a community nearby. It was very well possible. They rarely showed themselves under normal circumstances. And by their simple clothing they could be easily mistaken for members of one of the many tribes which were generally peaceful. But these three were the complete opposite of that. Never had I felt so much hatred. No wonder the hatred among humans against Mantrins had grown too. The way he looked at me and even at Arzu. The way he spoke to us. And those cold looks of the two that accompanied him. I was pretty sure that the other Sogowan was female. I guess I had gotten used to Niryn's kind voice and smile too much. Such hatred, just for showing love for each other. _Arzu!_ I had to help him some way. But how? My house wasn't far from the center of town but after running for about one and a half block I stopped. I looked around, trying to catch my breath in the meantime. There weren't many people on the street but everything felt so dark so suddenly. So hostile and cold. Even though the streetlights spread a warm yellowish glow over the sidewalk, aided in turn by Solbrecht's twin moons the shivers crawled all over me. Nobody seemed to pay any attention to me. I felt they wouldn't even be willing to help me even if I asked. I wasn't even sure if they could offer any help against those odds. But I had to try. My eyes fell on a group of three guys on the other side of the street. One was human, the other was an Akrennian and yet another was a Mantrin himself. They were being kind of loud. All three of them were most likely suffering from the influence of having too much alcohol. Drinking. It was one of the negative influences we brought into their society, something they blamed us for too. Another one was smoking and in the worst cases, drugs. Even till this day and age, cigarettes had survived and drugs were a common good in the galaxy, just because selling it was a lucrative business. Addicts could be found anywhere, even in the more well-developed places such as here on Solbrecht. Maybe I wasn't thinking. But I had to find some way to help Arzu. So without much further thought I yelled to get their attention and crossed the street. They didn't seem to hear me the first time, so I yelled again when I was on their side. That caused them to twist and finally turn in my direction, swaying on their legs, laughing, barely aware I was trying to make something clear to them.

"Please, I need your help. My... friend is being attacked."

"Well, what is this?" the human boy said, a sly grin plastered on his face.

He couldn't be much older than me. The Mantrin, an Orketh by race, as I could make out from the darker stripes around his ankles, twitched an ear, showing a few teeth as he copied this facial expression. The Akrennian was built the usual tall and lanky way of his kind and his skin was a common rocky gray color too. He merely purred like a kitten upon seeing me, obviously turned on or something. But the others seemed pretty 'interested' too. With them in their current state of mind I could almost _hear_ their perverted thoughts. I also thought they approached me way too close for comfort.

"Well," the Mantrin purred, studying me from up close like I was some kind of animal in a zoo. "You're a nice little thing."

"Not sure if that stuff's still messing with my mind but you don't look so bad," the Akrennian added.

I had to do something quick. Arzu needed my help. Anyone's help. Instead of drooling all over me they could make themselves useful instead. I figured that maybe raising my voice and using simple words might help in trying to make myself clear but I was starting to believe it was all in vain.

"Please! Help me. My friend and I were being attacked. I need your help."

"Don't worry. We'll help you," the human said, strangely and somewhat unreliably kind.

"Really?" I heard myself say, unconvinced.

"Sure. Gonna show you all the places in town."

At that point, the Mantrin touched my arm, the Akrennian put his hand on my shoulder and the human boy was about to kiss me or something. I almost lost it. They weren't going to help me. I was grossed out by their touches. Their breath reeked of alcohol and in one case something worse, only I couldn't determine who it came from the way they were panting in my face.

"What're you doing? I'm trying to help my friend!"

"What do you need him for, when you can have all three of us?"

"C'mon, don't be so shy."

The only thing I accomplished was giving them a toy to play with. The Mantrin tightened his grip, the Akrennian brought his head closer in an affectionate gesture. I almost panicked. Everything was in vain. I couldn't help Arzu. Nobody felt like helping me.

"Let go of me!" I shrieked, tearing myself from their grip.

I heard myself gasp as the Mantrin's claws scratched the skin of my arm. I almost felt like crying. But my anger and frustration were stronger. Without any further thought, I started running again, trying to fight back the tears. _Why?_ Why was the world so cruel at this moment? The voices of the three guys continued to echo in my ears as the distance between us increased.

"C'mon, what did we do?"

"We were just gonna have a little fun!"

I cursed them. I felt how my legs and feet took me the last bit of the road home. It was as if I wasn't in control of them and acted purely on instinct. The few people I saw on the way, I ignored, evaded. Everyone suddenly felt like a potential threat, humans, Mantrins, other aliens. They all looked the same to me. Sinister, threatening, frightening. I was scared. I was still sweating. And by the time I finally reached my house, I felt sick to my stomach. How such a wonderful evening could turn straight into a nightmare. My hand was shaking so much I dropped the keycard before the scanner could identify it and grant me access. The light above the door allowed me to see where I dropped it and when I finally managed to unlock the door, the light in the hallway chasing the darkness away, I remembered my parents weren't home either this evening. So I was all alone. Closing the door with a slam, letting myself fall back against its surface, I closed my eyes, still fighting back tears, sliding down to the floor as I caught my breath. But I still had to do something. The thoughts of what could be happening right now raced through my mind. So I retrieved my phone, almost dropping it out of my shaking, sweaty hands. Commanding the device to dial his number, I watched as a picture of him smiling appeared on the display. I heard his voice shortly thereafter.

"Arzu, are you all ri?-"

"Hi Rachel. I'm sorry, I can't pick up right now. Leave a message."

His personal voicemail. Grinding my teeth, I heard a voice I didn't even recognize as my own after I waited for the tone to speak.

"Arzu, please call me back. I need to know if you're all right. Come to my house. Please."

When I ended the call, I put the phone on the doormat, hugging my legs closer to my body. I couldn't hold back those tears anymore. After seeing his picture. Hearing his voice. I was beginning to think of the worst. That I would never see him smile again, never hear his voice again. I was so worried about him, I felt nauseous. How could things have gone so horribly wrong on an evening that was near perfect? The tears felt hot on my cheeks, like warm glowing pearls as they rolled down and fell into my lap. _Arzu._ I wanted him to be all right. I wanted him with me right now. There was nothing in the universe I wanted more than to crawl into his arms, knowing he was unharmed. I sobbed, taking breaths with short gasping sounds in between. I was angry too. I was angry at the world for being this cruel. This unforgiving. I can still hear him say it to Christina.

"_Our relationship will hurt no one."_

And right now he was being punished for it. I could barely believe it had come to this. I don't know for how long I sat there. It could have been minutes. It could have very well been an hour or longer. What I did know was, I stopped crying when I heard the sound of footsteps outside, behind the door that separated the harsh cold world outside from the relative safeness of my house. I gasped, felt my heart skip a beat. That sound. Those heavy steps, very characteristic for Mantrins. I jumped up, sweeping my phone off the doormat and putting it back in my pocket. I wasn't even thinking. It could very well have been one of those Mantrins that had followed me to my house, take his anger out on the human that fell in love with a member of his kind. But I had this feeling. It had to be him. Maybe he got my message. But I never accounted for what I was confronted with when I opened the door. That sight was burned forever into my mind. Like a scar that would never heal. He had been leaning against the door so he almost collapsed on top of me. But I caught him and fortunately he caught himself partly as I wouldn't have been able to hold him on my own. His neat clothes were torn in several places and stained with blood. He had claw marks all over his body and in his face. He looked beaten and bruised. I barely recognized him as his face appeared particularly swollen in the left side. Fresh blood had left trails over his cheek from the cuts and a nasty wound on his head. The hallway light casted shadows that made it look even worse.

"Arzu!"

_Why?_ How could anyone do this to him? How could they be so cruel? He was a member of their kind.

"Ra-Rachel," he panted, trying to look at me, leaning heavily on my shoulder with his right hand. His other arm dangled in a strange way, quite possibly broken, the way it looked. "I-I'm glad you're safe."

I grabbed his other arm. I supported him as much as I could as I took him to the living room, calling for the lights to turn on as I entered. He was heavy. I could feel a trickle of moist falling into my neck. Quite possibly blood but I didn't care. Spreading a spare blanket for him to sit on, I kept supporting him as he lowered himself on the couch, flinching on contact with the soft surface, slightly whimpering. In the brighter light of the lamps in the living room I was finally able to take a better look and I was frightened by what I saw. But he was suffering enough as it was so I figured I'd better be quick.

"I'll get our first-aid box." And then he just looked at me, with eyes that had lost every bit of that sparkle of joy that used to shine in them, now only filled with pain and misery. It just hit me with the same feelings. He didn't reply, merely nodded weakly in response, holding on to his arm. His long tail laid weakly and unmoving on the couch pillows. I couldn't see it that clearly but it look painfully swollen too. _Was it broken?_ As I considered that thought, I turned around to get the first-aid kit realizing there was only so much I could do with its contents. I was not a doctor yet, if that's what I wanted to be, but his head injury could have caused a concussion and if his arm and tail were broken he needed the help of a real doctor. Sinking on my knees in front of the cabinet I opened the doors and found it on the lower shelf. Grabbing it firmly with both hands, afraid I would drop it because I just couldn't keep them from shaking, I hurried back to the couch where he sat and put it on the table. But it wasn't the only thing I needed. Telling him to stay put, realizing shortly thereafter that there was little chance he would go anywhere in the meantime, I scooted to the kitchen to get a towel and water. When I reentered the living room with a bowl filled with lukewarm water in my hands and the towel over my shoulder, I almost dropped it. As long as I knew him I had often suspected him to be on the verge of it but I had never heard or seen him cry before. But as I approached him as he sat on the couch, with his back to me, it was the most heart-wrenching sound I could imagine. That wailing sound, only interrupted by the occasional sobs as he fought for breath in between. I almost dropped the bowl with water when that sound hit my ears and tormented my heart. I walked toward him, slower than I intended, fighting against the tears that were trying to break through. His ears had folded back so far on his head, I could barely distinguish them from the back of his skull. Big tears rolled over his cheeks, mixing with the blood on his face on their way down. "Arzu." My hands started shaking again the moment I put the bowl down on the table next to the first-aid kit. I tossed the towel hanging over my shoulder next to it. Physically he was in pain but mentally he seemed to be suffering much more. Without further thought, I stepped between his legs and careful not cause him any more pain I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him, as he cried on my shoulder. I felt my shirt getting soaked shortly thereafter. I felt him spasm in my embrace as he sobbed and continued to whimper. "It's all right." Gently stroking the back of his head and ears I held on as the minutes passed, watching my own tears fall on his back. When I felt he had calmed down enough I finally released him, feeling how he weakly let his hand slide off my back. His eyes looked red and bloodshot and he seemed to have trouble closing his mouth due to his swollen cheek. Panting slightly, he tried to swallow at which he winced. Still between his legs I turned to open the box with medical supplies, took the towel and soaked it into the bowl with warm water. With the tissue regenerator in my other hand, I rotated toward him and sunk through my knees enough to get to a more equal height. With the wet towel, I began dabbing his face, as I had to start somewhere, careful not too much pressure on his wounds and the swollen parts, cleaning off the blood while treating his wounds with the device. "There's only so much I can do with this." I couldn't keep my voice from scratching. It felt dry and a little soar too. "Your arm. Is it broken?"

As suspected he nodded.

"M-My tail hurts so much," he whimpered. "They stomped on it."

The wound on his head could only have been caused by a fall too. The regenerator seemed to have trouble with it. It was designed for treating small injuries only. Using his right hand to lift his stained shirt I gasped when I saw the severe bruising around his midriff and the wounds caused by claws. Cowards. It was obvious they had kicked him when he was down on the ground, helplessly. It became clear that my attempts were near futile at best.

"Arzu, we need to get you to the hospital. We have to call your parents."

Reaching into his pocket, I quickly came to realize my attempt to call him had been in vain too.

"It broke. I came to your house because it was closer."

I paused. I had the number of his house so it was up to me.

"Here."

I handed him the regenerator and hung the towel which was stained with blood into the bowl. The water had turned slightly red too. On his own he started treating the scratches on his broken arm with it as I retrieved my phone and dialed the number. Only seconds later I heard Niryn's voice and had her face on the screen. She greeted me in her own language in a joyful way but quickly realized something was wrong the moment she detected the tension in my voice as I tried to explain quickly what happened. It shocked her, her ears drooping in response. Covering her mouth with her hand she muttered something under her breath in _Saerinian_. I watched as she walked away from the phone to warn her mate. When she returned about half a minute later she seemed in a hurry.

"How is he? We're coming right away."

"We're at my house. I'm trying to take care of his wounds but he needs help. Wait a second. I'll hand him the phone."

Turning to Arzu, I took the tissue regenerator from his weak grip and handed him the device. I heard Niryn gasp as she faced her son. I had done my best to treat the wounds in his face but there was nothing I could do about the bruising or his head injury. I was glad his ears weren't torn. They were so soft and delicate. It could've been even worse, although that was hard to believe just by looking at him.

"_I'm okay, mom."_

"No, you're not." Niryn's voice was close to a shriek and she answered his _Saerinian_ with English instead. Her son's attempt to make her feel a little more at easy failed miserably, because of his injuries and his inability to sound anything like convincing. "We're coming. Hold on."

She ended the call, leaving him staring at the phone, without moving an inch and eyes that were as hollow as the space in his hearts that had once been occupied by his people's pride. I took the phone from his large hand, putting it on the table and he just kept staring. And when I was about to resume my treatment with the limited medical supplies I had available, he started sobbing again. And then he looked at me, with his tear-stained face and finally told me what was on his mind and hearts.

"It's... my fault."

"How is it your fault? You protected me. You sent me away. You knew this would happen."

He hung his head and shook it, ears flapping lightly, tears falling in his lap.

"They could've done this to you. They would've killed you. You were right that other night. They really hate humans." I had such pity on him. Grabbing his one hand firmly with both of my own I squeezed softly, placing a kiss on his fingers. "They said such horrible things about you. At some point I was starting to hope they would tear my ears off." He sniffled loudly, the mucus in his nostrils making a gurgling sound. "M-Maybe everyone was right all along. It's gonna cause nothing but trouble for both of us. Maybe we shouldn't be doing this anymore."

To hear those words coming out of his mouth, turned my whole inside into ice. Something in my heart shattered. I couldn't imagine the remainder of my life without him anymore. The truth is, I understood his reasoning. It was dangerous to both of us. They had already taken their anger and dissatisfaction out on him. I could be next. And I had no trouble believing that they would have killed me had I stayed there. But still, I loved him. I was _madly_ in love with him. Was I being selfish? I didn't realize or thought about that at that moment.

"No." My vision started to get blurred by my own tears. "Please. Don't do that." Leaving his hand for what it was, I hugged his right thigh instead. "I love you."

I couldn't part from him. After all the wonderful moments we shared together. After meeting his family. After becoming familiar with nearly every aspect of his culture and loving every bit of it, I didn't want him to part from me anymore. I shivered when I suddenly felt his warm hand on my head, softly caressing as if I were a kitten purring for attention.

"I'm sorry," I heard him stutter. "I love you too. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

I almost forgot that I initially wanted to continue helping him treat his wounds. When that went through me a minute or two had passed and I put my own sorrow aside to help him until his parents arrived. I hadn't even accounted anymore for my own parents to come back until I heard the sound of the front door unlocking. When I heard that I suddenly stopped with what I was doing for a second. But the situation would practically explain itself in the next few minutes. So I didn't pay any attention to it, although Arzu did, flicking an ear in response to the sound of my parents' voices.

"Rachel, you there?"

"I-I'm here mom."

"Did you have a great time with..." When my mom entered and noticed us her voice trailed off completely and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She gasped slightly with shock. When that happened I stopped temporarily with what I was doing. The reason for her to act like that wasn't just Arzu. I finally noticed the mess my clothes had turned into, stained with blood, in particular around the right shoulder. I couldn't care less. "Oh my God. Kevin!"

My dad responded immediately to my mother's cry, dashing into the living room. She hurried toward us but I quickly explained to her that I was okay and that it was Arzu's blood. And then she took pity on him, as if he was her own son, caressing the cheek that wasn't swollen. I noticed how he tried to smile, appreciating the caring gesture. My dad turned to me first grabbing my shoulders, trying to make sure for himself that I was okay.

"Rachel, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, dad. We already called his parents. They're coming right away."

Only seconds later, we heard the chime of the doorbell.

"I'll get it," he said. I nodded. I stood there with the tissue regenerator in my hand, it's battery almost drained. Arzu's parents had promised to come for a visit this week but it was postponed at the last moment due to Reyzan's work and his presence being required that day. Sure they would have expected their first meeting to be different. When Niryn entered our living room, her eyes immediately found her son and she was followed closely by her mate. With three large Mantrins in our living room we ran out of space quickly. Grabbing the edge of our table I pulled it backwards to allow for Niryn and Reyzan to get closer to him. They did give me a sign that they noticed me but understandably their son demanded their attention right now, so my mom stepped back too, to allow Niryn to step in between the couch and the table. Touching her beak to his, she licked his cheek, looking at his injuries with a worried look on her face. They started talking in _Saerinian_ and for a moment, we left them to a moment of seclusion. In the meantime I explained to my parents what happened. It shocked them, not just the fact that the conservatives were capable of such an act but that they committed it against a member of their own species. My dad brought up the suggestion to inform the police and discussed it with Reyzan but as we considered that, we realized how futile that would be. These people were essentially outlaws without any official record of their existence. They weren't even registered citizens so it would be close to impossible to track them down. They assaulted a member of their own kind which due to the severity might even pass as attempted murder against a teenager and there was virtually nothing we could do against it. "But I still think we should report it. People should be warned that they are still in town. They're dangerous to everyone."

With a little help from his mother, Arzu attempted to stand. It was a little difficult in the limited amount of space they had and because he could barely use his tail but they succeeded. The blanket on which he had been sitting had blood stains on it. He grunted slightly as he carefully lowered his tail to the floor. Step by step they walked, halting when they had moved out of that narrow spot. Niryn looked at us gratefully and Arzu tried to smile too.

"Thank you so much for taking care of him. I really wish we could've met under better circumstances."

My mom shook her head and pulled me closer to her, rubbing my head.

"Don't thank us. We just got home ourselves. Our daughter was here."

Niryn's gratefulness and that of her mate and son were suddenly directed solely at me.

"Thank you, Rachel."

I nodded.

"You're more than welcome."

"Rachel."

Arzu obviously wanted me to get closer, the way he looked at me, gestured with his head. So I left my mom's side, feeling her hand slide off my back, taking position about a meter away from him.

"Yes?"

"I... I have to go now. But don't worry. You'll see me soon. I won't leave you alone."

I felt so relieved when he said that. He didn't want to let it stop us from being together. I wanted to hug him but decided against it because it would probably hurt him if I did. Instead I leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on his uninjured cheek. He purred softly in response, adding a lick to my cheek as goodbye.

"I'll come with you," I said, my voice close to a whisper.

He shook his head though, something I didn't really expect.

"I know you're concerned, but I'll be okay. Get some rest. I need to get some too."

For the last time I brought my hand to his cheek and kissed him on that soft spot between his nostrils, something that catches him off guard almost every time. After our parents said goodbye I followed them outside where Reyzan's hover car was parked on our side of the street. We tried to maintain eye contact for as long as possible. We waved for the last time as Arzu's father hit the gas and they disappeared around the corner at the end of the street.


End file.
